Monthly Archive: March 2025

Cuts to Foreign Aid Are a Good Start

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

On January 20th, the Trump administration indicated it would pause foreign aid to most countries for 90 days. Newly-confirmed Secretary of State, “Little” Marco Rubio, confirmed this and paused “all new obligations of funding, pending a review, for (U.S.) foreign assistance programs funded by or through the Department and USAID.”He also recently floated closing USAID permanently and merging it with the State Department. It is right to credit the...

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Transportation Stocks Continue To Lead Markets Lower

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

In our Commentary last week, we noted that Delta shares were down over ten percent due to their weak economic outlook. Per our Commentary- "Delta’s CEO offered similar caution: The outlook has been impacted by the recent reduction in consumer and corporate confidence caused by increased macro uncertainty, driving softness in Domestic demand. He also …

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Retail Investor Buys The Dip Despite Bearish Sentiment

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

It has been an interesting correction. The average retail investor was "buying the dip" despite having an extremely bearish outlook. This is an interesting point because, as shown, the retail investor used to be considered a "contrarian indicator" as they were prone to be driven by emotional behaviors that led them to "buy high and sell low." …

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Ralph Raico’s Master Class on the History of Political Thought

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

[This article is the introduction to The Struggle for Liberty: A Libertarian History of Political Thought, by Ralph Raico, now available in the Mises Book Store, online at mises.org, and at Amazon.com.]It is appropriate, unfortunately, that Ralph Raico (1936–2016) begins this series of lectures with an anecdote about Lord Acton. Acton, as Raico notes, was an exceptionally erudite historian and a proponent of radical laissez-faire liberalism—also...

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Kennedy Assassination Mysteries

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

Why should we care today about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963? That fateful day in Dallas is, after all, a long time ago: those of us, like me, who can remember the day are at least in their sixties. The short answer is that it reveals something essential for us to know about the American government and the Deep State that runs it.Kennedy had become deeply suspicious of the CIA and other American intelligence...

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Swiss parliament intent on forcing foreign investment controls

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

Council of States in principle in favour of reviewing foreign investments Keystone-SDA Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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Oops, Trump Just Bankrolled the Protesters He Intended to Silence

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

I’ve been thrilled with much of what Donald Trump has done as president. He’s working to end the Ukraine war, secure the border, end the war on cryptocurrency, and cut government waste—all things I strongly support. But cutting federal funding over campus protests backfired so badly, it convinced Columbia’s most insufferable activists that they actually matter.Last Friday, the Trump administration announced it was cutting $400 million in federal...

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2025-03-18 – Publication of 2024 Annual Report

2025-03-18

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2025-03-18

Required: These cookies (e.g. for storing your IP address) cannot be rejected as they are necessary to ensure the operation of the website. These data are not evaluated further.Analytics: If you consent to this category, data such as IP address, location, device information, browser version and site visitor behaviour will be collected. These data are evaluated for the SNB's internal purposes and are kept for two years.Third-party: If you consent to...

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The New Higher Education “Arms Race”

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Forty years ago, collegiate institutions competed to attract the last big surge of baby-boomer 18-year-olds, offering campus amenities—fancy dormitories, swanky recreation centers with climbing walls, upgraded athletic facilities, palatial dining halls—that were, at the time, derisively described as an “arms race” among schools.I once asked the then-president of my own alma mater—an east coast liberal arts college—how the school justified spending...

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Swiss home electronics market shrinks for second year in a row

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Home electronics market shrinks for second year in a row Keystone-SDA Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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UBS latest bank to tone down diversity in annual report

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Banks and other companies fear a US backlash for promoting diversity. Keystone / Gaetan Bally Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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Switzerland remains eighth in international patent applications

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Switzerland still eighth in international patent applications Keystone-SDA Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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Bonuses restored to forgiven Julius Bär managers

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Julius Baer pays its management significantly better again Keystone-SDA Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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Thomas Aquinas and the Subjective Theory of Value

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Thomas Aquinas is, without doubt, the greatest Roman Catholic philosopher and theologian when it comes to the depth of his thought and the degree of his influence. Although this is the case, it might seem strange at first to see him mentioned in relation to the history of the subjective theory of value. It was Rothbard nonetheless who first pointed out that the direct ancestor of the Austrian School is the Salamanca School, a Roman Catholic school...

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China Underwhelms, PBOC sets Dollar Fix Lower, Bessent’s Lack of Concern Weighs on US Stocks, and More US Tariffs Coming

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Overview: The US dollar begins the new week quietly. The week features five G10 central bank meetings, and real sector data that may show the US economy is resilient despite the Atlanta's Fed's pessimism (which will be updated today). President Trump renewed his warning that reciprocal and sectoral tariffs will be announced on April 2. The greenback is trading with a mostly softer but consolidative bias today. Emerging market currencies are mixed,...

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UBS CEO Ermotti earned almost CHF15 million in 2024

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

UBS CEO Ermotti earns almost CHF 15 million in 2024 Keystone-SDA Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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A third of Swiss industrial companies on short-time work

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

One third of industrial companies on short-time work Keystone-SDA Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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How to Avoid Common Retirement Planning Mistakes That Could Cost You Thousands

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Planning for retirement requires careful preparation and smart financial decisions. However, many retirees make critical errors that can drain their savings, reduce their income, and leave them financially vulnerable. Avoiding financial pitfalls is essential to ensuring a comfortable and stress-free retirement. Here’s a look at some of the most common retirement planning mistakes and how …

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Orange Juice And Egg Prices Provide Welcome Relief

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

As we have mentioned numerous times, consumer sentiment greatly impacts economic activity. Accordingly, the price activity of particular goods can have an outsized influence on consumer inflation views. For example, orange juice and egg prices have been leading some consumers to have flashbacks of the recent high inflation. Based on the recent price trends of …

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SNB interest rate cliffhanger keeps economists guessing

2025-03-17

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2025-03-17

Most forecasters believe the SNB will deliver a quarter-point interest rate reduction. Keystone Listen to the article Listening the article Toggle language selector...

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