Tag Archive: Featured

The Idea that Democracy Is the Same as Liberty Is a Weapon in the Hands of Despots

2020-11-07

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2020-11-07

As Americans approach a date with their polling places and “get out the vote” campaigns crescendo, there is plenty of rhetoric that all but deifies democracy.

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FX Daily, November 6: A Pause that Refreshens?

2020-11-06

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2020-11-06

Investors have piled into risk assets this week, seemingly undeterred by the US elections' lack of a clear outcome. The coronavirus is still surging, and a new complication has emerged. A mutation of the virus, originating in minks (Denmark), could pose a challenge in developing a vaccine. MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose for the fifth consecutive session today to end its best week since April.

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Covid, Nov6: 62 new deaths as hospitalisations rise in Switzerland

2020-11-06

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2020-11-06

Change in Hospitalisation Switzerland 2020 Nov 06
On 5 November 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 62 deaths among laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid over 24 hours, bringing the total death toll since summer to 606.

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Markets Gyrate Ahead of Protracted Period of Uncertainty

2020-11-06

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2020-11-06

Markets likely facing an extended period of uncertainty; the dollar is seeing some safe haven bid but is well off its highs. Despite President Trump’s claim of victory and his call to halt vote counting and go to the Supreme Court, it’s important to emphasize that the election is simply not over yet; asset prices are sending a cacophony of signals as investors struggle to price multiple possibilities.

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Why High Net Worth Investors are Opting for Physical Gold Vs ETFs, Digital Gold & Crypto-Currencies

2020-11-06

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2020-11-06

As we continue to await the official result of the US Election, in the short-term financial markets remain volatile.

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Counting The Corroborated Stall, Not The Coming Lawfare Election Mess

2020-11-06

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2020-11-06

CPS Household Survey, 2003-2020
While we wait for the electoral count to be sorted out by what we hope are competent and honest people (not holding our breath), there’s a greater muddle growing where it actually counts and where it’s never fully nor properly accounted. By a large and growing number of accounts, the US economy’s rebound seems to have stalled out back around June or July, an inflection unrelated to COVID case counts, too.

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Why Socialism Won’t End Worker “Exploitation”

2020-11-06

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2020-11-06

A belief still commonly held today by not just Marxists and socialists, but progressives of many stripes, is the insistence that employers are “stealing” part of their workers’ labor because the wage workers receive from their employer are less than the contribution of their labor to the final value (i.e., selling price) of the finished good.

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FX Daily, November 5: The Dollar Slides and the Yuan Jumps

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

Overview: The markets did not wait for the final vote count and took stocks and bonds higher while pushing the greenback lower. While it appears Biden will be the next US President, investors seemed to like the fact that his agenda will be checked by a Senate that may remain in Republican hands.  Stocks are on a tear. 

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COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA and the UK, as of 4 November 2020

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

14-day COVID-19 case notification rate per 100 000, weeks 42-43
As of 04 November 2020, 8 008 149 cases have been reported in the EU/EEA and the UK: France (1 502 763), Spain (1 259 366), United Kingdom (1 073 882), Italy (759 829), Germany (577 593), Belgium (453 215), Poland (414 844), Netherlands (375 444), Czechia (362 985), Romania (258 437), Portugal (149 443), Sweden (134 532), Austria (118 715), Hungary (90 988), Slovakia (63 556), Ireland (63 048), Bulgaria (60 537), Croatia (54 087), Denmark (49 594),...

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Swiss Consumer sentiment: No further recovery of consumer sentiment

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

Consumer sentiment index, 2011-2020
Consumer sentiment in Switzerland has largely been stagnating since the summer. All sub-indices used for the calculation are still below their long-term average and none have improved significantly compared to this summer’s survey. Economic development and the situation on the labour market are seen as unfavourable.

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Zurich prosecutor charges former Raiffeisen bank chief Vincenz

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

The Zurich public prosecutor has accused the ex-CEO of Swiss bank Raiffeisen Pierin Vincenz of fraud, embezzlement and bribery following a two-year criminal investigation.

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What We Don’t Elect Matters Most: Central Banking and the Permanent Government

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

The rich get richer, 1980-2012
We're Number One in wealth, income and power inequality, yea for the Fed and the Empire! If we avert our eyes from the electoral battle on the blood-soaked sand of the Coliseum and look behind the screen, we find the powers that matter are not elected: our owned by a few big banks Federal Reserve, run by a handful of technocrats, and the immense National Security State, a.k.a. the Permanent Government.

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The Benefits of Secession Are Becoming Increasingly Obvious

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

Audio Mises Wire
"Countries threaten to split apart when their people seem hopelessly divided…. We’re less united today than we’ve been at any time since the Civil War."

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Why Threats of Election Violence May Be Here to Stay

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

Both private sector businesses and police departments believe there is a good chance there will be postelection unrest. Both groups are taking steps to protect themselves in case of riots. Some left-wing protest groups state they plan to do “whatever it takes” to make sure the correct candidate—i.e., Joe Biden—wins. The National Guard has mobilized in several states in anticipation of riots.

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Meanwhile, Outside Today’s DC

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

German Economy, 2012-2020
With all eyes on Washington DC, today, everyone should instead be focused on Europe. As we’ve written for nearly three years now, for nearly three years Europe has been at the unfortunate forefront of Euro$ #4. We could argue about whether coming out of GFC2 back in March pushed everything into a Reflation #4 – possible – or if this is still just one three-yearlong squeeze of a global dollar shortage.

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Which US president would be best for Swiss business?

2020-11-05

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2020-11-05

Swiss-US trade has been booming in recent years. Would it be better for the Alpine country to stick with the current set-up or trust in a potentially more conciliatory new American president?  

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Meet me at the the online ‘piazza’!

2020-11-04

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A woman living in a southern Swiss town noticed that people around her felt isolated and wanted to connect and share things but didn't know how. So she created the "smart village": a virtual town square. Monica Rush Solcà from the Italian-speaking region of Ticino set up a platform where people can meet and share things. The concept was later used in other towns in the region, with group members hosting events to advertise the service....

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FX Daily, November 4: Indecision Keeps Investors on Edge, but the Dollar Rides High

2020-11-04

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2020-11-04

Initially, the markets built on Tuesday's price action, but as soon as a few counties in Florida indicated that it was not going to be the "blue wave," risk came off, and it was most evident in the bond and currency markets. Equities rallied in the Asia Pacific area, and all but Hong Kong, Australia, and Indonesia advanced. 

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A New World Monetary Order Is Coming

2020-11-04

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2020-11-04

The global coronavirus pandemic has accelerated several troubling trends already in force. Among them are exponential debt growth, rising dependency on government, and scaled-up central bank interventions into markets and the economy. Central bankers now appear poised to embark on their biggest power play ever.

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Swiss Consumer Price Index in October 2020: -0.6 percent YoY, 0.0 percent MoM

2020-11-04

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2020-11-04

Switzerland Consumer Price Index (CPI) YoY, October 2020
The consumer price index (CPI) remained stable in October 2020 compared with the previous month, remaining at 101.2 points (December 2015 = 100). Inflation was –0.6% compared with the same month of the previous year.

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