Swiss Balance of Payments and International Investment Position: Q1 2018

The current account surplus amounted to CHF 18 billion in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of CHF 5 billion over the same quarter of 2017. This rise was attributable to the higher receipts surplus on trading in non-monetary gold, which is recorded under trade in goods. In the case of services as well as primary and secondary income, the balances remained stable.

Swiss residential property risks growing in buy to let, according to Swiss National Bank

On 21 June 2018, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced its decision on interest rates, which it left unchanged. Switzerland’s economy has been sailing into the headwinds of a strong currency since the SNB scrapped its exchange rate cap in January 2015 and the Swiss franc briefly went beyond parity with the euro.

Swiss Balance of Payments and International Investment Position: Q1 2018

The current account surplus amounted to CHF 18 billion in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of CHF 5 billion over the same quarter of 2017. This rise was attributable to the higher receipts surplus on trading in non-monetary gold, which is recorded under trade in goods. In the case of services as well as primary and secondary income, the balances remained stable.

Strikes mooted over construction retirement age

Unions on Friday threatened warning strikes for the building sector this autumn if the current retirement age of 60 for construction workers is dropped. At a press conference on Friday, Switzerland’s biggest trade union Unia, and the union Syna called for early retirement, as well as more worker protection and less temporary work on sites.

FX Weekly Preview: Trade Tensions and EU Summit Highlight Q2’s Last Week

We argue there are three major disruptive forces that are shaping the investment climate: the US policy mix in relative and absolute terms, the escalation of trade tensions, and immigration. In the week ahead, trade issues may eclipse the US policy mix, and immigration will compete with the economic and financial agenda at the European heads of state summit at the end of the week.

Emerging Markets: What Changed

Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus was named the new Governor of Malaysia’s central bank. Moody's cut the outlook on Pakistan's B3 rating to negative from stable. National Bank of Hungary tiled more hawkish. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife was charged with misusing public funds. MSCI added Saudi Arabia and Argentina to its Emerging Markets index.

Russia Buys 600,000 oz Of Gold In May After Dumping Half Of US Treasuries In April

Russia adds another 600,000 oz to it’s gold reserves in May. Holdings of U.S. government debt slashed in half to $48.7 billion in April. ‘Keeping money safe’ from U.S. and Trump – Danske Bank. Trump increasing the national debt by another 6% to $21.1 trillion in less than 18 months. Asian nations accumulating gold as shield against dollar devaluation and trade wars.

Brent’s Back In A Big Way, Still ‘Something’ Missing

The concept of bank reserves grew from the desire to avoid the periodic bank runs that plagued Western financial systems. As noted in detail starting here, the question had always been how much cash in a vault was enough? Governments around the world decided to impose a minimum requirement, both as a matter of sanctioned safety and also to reassure the public about a particular bank’s status.

Impressive Swiss Recovery After SNB Peg Removal

Retail data shows that the SNB peg removal in January 2015 as early as April 2015 with minimal adverse impact on the economy. Trade surplus showed that Switzerland had fully recovered its lost trade surplus in May and expectations crossed an important threshold into positive territory in June. CHF strengthened since May end, as the market caught wind of the Swiss recovery, and the Grexit would further strengthen the CHF if it were to occur.

Swiss Franc History: Volcker’s defeat of inflation strengthens dollar, weakens Swiss franc

Richard Koo and Abenomics

Weak Yen, Is it Really a Currency War?

Some journalists, like Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the U.K.'s Telegraph and Michael Casey of the Wall Street Journal, have already claimed this to be a shot in the currency wars. Casey focuses exclusively on the BOJ activity and does not even mention GPIF. Evans-Pritchard spends most of his time talking about the bearish yen implications of the increased BOJ purchases, and mentions GPIF only at the very end of the his essay, and even then to...