Tag Archives: Switzerland

Written by Jeff Nielson (CLICK FOR ORIGINAL) Much of what is known as “economic theory” is gibberish. It is propaganda, implanted into the minds of academics for one reason: to preserve the status quo of always favoring the (very) wealthy over all other members of the population. The facets of economic doctrine which are valid, are valid because they do little more than express principles of simple arithmetic and common sense.   “Supply and demand” is just simple arithmetic and common...

Earlier we introduced the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the longest and deepest tunnel in the world. The 35 mile long tunnel which cuts underneath the Alps helps remove natural barriers to trade and tourism, and is undoubtedly a testament to Swiss precision engineering. Interestingly, as Bloomberg reports, the tunnel that was 17 years in the making and had workers on three shifts working around the clock to build, was built primarily by foreigners. Only 14 percent of the workers were from...

Several months ago, as Venezuela’s hyperinflating, imploding economy was spinning in freefall, leading to the dramatic episodes of total social collapse such as those profiled in “Scenes From The Venezuela Apocalypse: “Countless Wounded” After 5,000 Loot Supermarket Looking For Food“, we wrote that the country which recently had “run out of money to print its own money” was preparing to liquidate its remaining gold holdings to pay coming debt maturities. Then, courtesy of an analysis by...

In the NZZ, Michael Schaefer reports about a study that analyzes the portfolio composition of public sector entities and social security institutions. Cantons and the Federation mostly hold cash. The SNB’s portfolio is among the riskiest.

Authorities in Switzerland and Singapore are punishing BSI, the private bank based in the Ticino region of Switzerland, for alleged money-laundering offenses, shutting their activities in Singapore and seizing part of its profits. Switzerland’s attorney general has opened criminal proceedings against BSI Bank in connection with alleged money-laundering and corruption by Malaysia’s statement investment fund 1MDB. In a separate move, the country’s financial market regulator said the bank was...

On June 1, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande will take a break from their respective domestic crises and attend a ceremony to inaugurate the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) in Switzerland. While the US has been focused on resolving LGBT rights issues and deciding whether or not the Confederate flag can fly in cemeteries, Switzerland has focused on something that's actually productive. After 17 years of work, and at a cost of $12 billion, Switzerland has engineered and constructed the...

On June 1, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande will take a break from their respective domestic crises and attend a ceremony to inaugurate the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) in Switzerland. While the US has been focused on resolving LGBT rights issues and deciding whether or not the Confederate flag can fly in cemeteries, Switzerland has focused on something that’s actually productive. After 17 years of work, and at a cost of $12 billion, Switzerland has engineered and constructed the world’s...

What do financing your retirement as well as finding affordable healthcare and the possibility of losing your job all have in common with each other? Easy, at least for an American, these days. Those are the top three worries that we wake up to in this country and that 60% of people believe are very much more than just nightmares gone wrong. They could become reality and it would seem that women are more concerned in particular. It’s healthcare that is on everyone’s lips and it’s been like...

Submitted by Tim Price via SovereignMan.com, On 23 June 2016, this British citizen will be voting to leave the European Union. To me it’s clear: the EU has not only become too big for its own good, it’s too big to do hardly anything good. Back in 1975 when the UK first confirmed membership in the EU (when it was called the European Economic Community), it made sense. Britain has always thrived on international trade, and the EU promised more trade. But that’s not what happened. The EU...

In the NZZ, Heidi Gmür discusses some of the many forms of government support for agricultural producers in Switzerland. She lists: Direct payments: CHF 2.8 billion for 53’000 farms in 2016 (roughly CHF 50 thousand per farm). Tariffs and other protectionist measures: According to the OECD, the value for farmers of these measures amounts to CHF 2 billion annually, while the value for the country is negative (CHF -0.5 billion). Multiple tax breaks: Lower capital gains tax on land sales; no...