Tag Archives: newslettersent

The economic reports released since the last of these updates was generally not all that bad but the reports considered more important were disappointing. And it should be noted that economic reports lately have generally been worse than expected which, if you believe the market to be fairly efficient, is what really matters. The disappointing employment report and the generally less than expected tone of the reports...

– Gold prices break 6 year down trend on safe haven demand (see charts)– Chinese gold demand set to surge 50% to 1,000 metric tonnes – Chinese demand for gold bars on track to surge more than 60 percent in 2017 – Geopolitical risk internationally leading to safe haven demand– UK election, terrorism and rising tensions in Middle East supporting gold after attacks in London and attacks in Iran today – Gold is 12.5% higher...

Summary: ECB may take a baby step toward the exit of extraordinary monetary policy by confirming rates are unlikely to be cut further and the risks are roughly balanced. UK election is coming down to the wire. In the US, former FBI director Comey is set to testify, and leaks of two Fed appointments overshadow mostly second-tier economic data. This week’s two main events, the ECB meeting and the UK national election...

Switzerland is rarely out of the top three in competitiveness rankings - Click to enlarge The strong franc and corporate tax uncertainty have failed to dislodge Switzerland from second place in an annual ranking of the world’s most competitive economies. The alpine state was also judged by the Lausanne-based IMD business school to have the world’s eighth best digital capability. For the second year in a row,...

Swiss Franc vs USD and EUR While the Euro traded in the range between 1.08 and 1.09, the dollar declined by nearly 3%. Swiss Franc Currency Index (3 years) The Swiss Franc index is the trade-weighted currency performance (see the currency basket)On a three years interval, the Swiss Franc had a weak performance. The dollar index was far stronger. The dollar makes up 33% of the SNB portfolio and 25% of Swiss...

Summary The Indonesian cabinet is discussing revisions to the 2017 state budget. The Thai central bank plans to reform some FX rules. South African President Zuma survived the no confidence vote within his own ANC. Brazil’s central bank signaled a slower pace of easing ahead after it cut 100 bp again. Moody’s cut the outlook on Brazil’s Ba2 rating from stable to negative. Stock Markets In the EM equity space as...

Summary: Poor jobs growth won’t challenge June hike expectations but September and balance sheet. Little positive in today’s report. Drop in unemployment explained by drop in participation rate. Trade deficit was larger than expected, which may point to slower Q2 growth. United States Unemployment Rate The US unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.3%, a new multi-year low, but it is a misleading optic for...

Swiss Franc The euro has depreciated by 0.24% to 1.0868 CHF. EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, June 02(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates The foreign exchange market is becalmed, leaving the US dollar narrowly mixed.  The euro has been confined to less than a 20-pip range through the Asian session and most of the European morning.  The news stream is light.  The US withdrawal from the Paris Accord...

A study of data from 195 countries from 1990 to 2015 published recently in the medical journal The Lancet, ranks Switzerland’s healthcare system third. The analysis looked at mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care. It considered both healthcare access and quality and was designed with the aim of normalising for local environmental and behavioural risks. - Click...

Whether or not San Francisco Fed President John Williams is right about US inflation and employment being about as close to the central bank’s targets as investors have seen – as he told CNBC two days ago – is irrelevant: The central bank is going to raise interest rates two more times this year no matter what happens to consumer prices, says Credit Suisse Chief Investment Officer for Switzerland Burkhard Varnholt....