Tag Archives: Politics

An organisation set up in Switzerland to prevent sport from harming society and athletes has been granted full association status in Geneva. Qatar has drawn criticism for failing to protect workers building stadiums for the next World Cup. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. The Centre for Sport and Human RightsExternal link was awarded the status of an independent non-profit association under Swiss law on Thursday. It has been running since...

by Claudio Grass, Hünenberg, Switzerland It’s been an intense few weeks for precious metals investors, with gold and silver suffering setbacks and somewhat increased volatility. This has caused some observers and mainstream analysts to jump to gloomy conclusions and proclaim that gold’s bull run is over. Instead, they’re betting everything on the “great recovery” from the covid crisis and on an apparently imminent roaring comeback of the world economy. However, when one takes a...

In 1999, social expenditure in Switzerland was CHF 13,370 per resident. By 2019, the same figure had reached CHF 21,300, a rise of nearly 60%. © Alexey Stiop | Dreamstime.com Over the same period, total inflation was around 11%. Applying inflation to CHF 13,370 brings the figure to CHF 14,480. Why has the cost risen beyond this and how has the extra spending been funded? One of the key drivers behind the rise in social expenditure is increased spending on pensions as...

In 1999, social expenditure in Switzerland was CHF 13,370 per resident. By 2019, the same figure had reached CHF 21,300, a rise of nearly 60%. © Alexey Stiop | Dreamstime.comOver the same period, total inflation was around 11%. Applying inflation to CHF 13,370 brings the figure to CHF 14,480. Why has the cost risen beyond this and how has the extra spending been funded? One of the key drivers behind the rise in social expenditure is increased spending on pensions as Switzerland’s...

Interview with Ronald-Peter Stöferle: Part II of II Claudio Grass (CG): Even before the pandemic, there was a clear trend towards the politicization of central banks and monetary policy. Over the last year, however, we saw this accelerate considerably, to the point where the supposed independence of the Fed or the ECB looks like a thing of the past. Should investors, savers and ordinary citizens be concerned about this development? Ronald Stöferle (RS): Yes, for several...

Interview with Ronald-Peter Stöferle: Part I of II I’ve long been an avid and enthusiastic reader of the “In Gold We Trust” report (“IGWT”), as I believe countless other gold investors are, and I’ve always found great value in the insights, the analyses and all the astute commentary and elucidating charts it contains.  However, I was particularly looking forward to this year’s IGWT report. So much had changed, so many shifts and shocks had taken place in 2020, that any...

The proposed 15% minimum corporate tax rate is an opportunity for Switzerland to unite its tax code for the better, says an organization representing Swiss cities. Cities like Zurich rely on company tax revenues to provide services and infrastructure. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally City finance directors have criticized cantons for trying to plug expected tax gaps unilaterally, rather than find a common approach nationwide. The United States is currently leading efforts...

I was offered on June, 15th, to express some thoughts on Biden-Putin. Enjoy! [embedded content]

Interview with Fernando del Pino Calvo-Sotelo: Part II of II Claudio Grass (CG): In your analyses and articles on the issues around the covid crisis, you have adopted a very rational and calm approach, focusing on evidence and scientific facts. Why do you think it is that so many people, both among the governing and the governed, have failed to use these logical tools in dealing with this pandemic? Why does emotion prevail over logic so often? Fernando del Pino (FdP): Pascal...

Interview with Fernando del Pino Calvo-Sotelo: Part I of II Even from the early days of the covid crisis, most sensible observers were concerned that the risk of mass panic and of fear overtaking reason was going to be much higher and much more severe than the biological threat itself. As the weeks and months went on, those concerns were substantiated, as politicians and the media all over the world fueled the flames, bombarded the public with apocalyptic images and chose...