Tag Archive: Featured

Mises and Moral Relativism

2020-09-29

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2020-09-29

I heard several days ago from my friend Larry Beane that people in Walter Block’s seminar who had been reading Theory and History wondered whether Mises is a moral relativist. As I’ll try to show, the answer depends on what you mean by “moral relativist,” but in the way the term is usually understood in contemporary philosophy, he isn’t.

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SWISS plans to introduce rapid pre-boarding Covid tests

2020-09-28

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2020-09-28

German airline Lufthansa will introduce rapid tests before certain flights to detect Covid-19 in passengers. If the trial, set to start in October, is successful, it will be expanded to Lufthansa subsidiaries Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and Edelweiss.

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FX Daily, September 28: Stocks Recover while the Greenback Consolidates

2020-09-28

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2020-09-28

Overview: Following the strong finish in the US before the weekend, global equities are paring last week's slide.  The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose to for a second session. Markets in  Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and India rose by more than 1%.  China and Australia were notable exceptions. 

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Covid-19: Swiss ‘industry mix’ helps avert dramatic GDP slump

2020-09-28

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2020-09-28

Government economists say the impact of the pandemic in Switzerland is slightly less severe than previously feared. This is partly thanks to the mix of industries in Switzerland and the decision to rapidly lift coronavirus restrictions, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

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EM Preview for the Week Ahead

2020-09-28

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2020-09-28

Persistent risk-off impulses weighed on EM last week and that may continue this week. The Asian currencies outperformed last week while MXN, ZAR, and COP underperformed, and we expect these divergences to continue. Despite optimism about a stimulus package in the US, we think it remains a long shot. Meanwhile, virus numbers are rising in Europe and the US, with data from both regions likely to continue weakening.

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Rent Control Is Bad for Renters, but Good for Politicians

2020-09-28

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2020-09-28

Ontario’s ever-changing rent control policies prove that politicians are just as committed to flip-flopping as the Minnesota Vikings are to not winning the Super Bowl.

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Adjustments to publication of data on money and foreign exchange market operations

2020-09-27

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2020-09-27

Additional data on money market operations and more frequent publication of volume of foreign exchange market interventions

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Switzerland to ramp up seasonal flu vaccinations to cut Covid-19 co-infection risk

2020-09-27

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2020-09-27

As winter approaches the federal and cantonal governments of Switzerland are hoping a larger number of people than normal will get the seasonal flu jab as the spread of Covid-19 continues, according to RTS.

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The slow but steady progress of driverless buses in Switzerland

2020-09-27

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2020-09-27

Over the past five years, various kinds of autonomous vehicles, including buses, have popped up on Swiss roads. But though testing continues, a driverless future might yet be some years away.

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Consumer Mood Darkens On Employment Prospects

2020-09-27

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2020-09-27

Job Transitions, 2014-2020
A Fed survey of expectations shows that the consumer mood darkens on employment and job prospects. This chart shows the changes in employment status of respondents who were  employed four months ago. The Fed survey asks individuals currently employed (excluding self-employment) whether they are working in the same job as when they submitted their last survey. 

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Heavy Metal Selling

2020-09-27

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2020-09-27

Gold Sell Off
Anxiety about an increase in Covid19 cases and fears of a second wave coupled with revelations of historic money laundering practices of major global banks weighed heavily on financial markets yesterday.

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FINMA rügt Bank SYZ wegen Verstössen in der Geldwäschereibekämpfung

2020-09-26

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2020-09-26

Die Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht FINMA hat in einem Enforcementverfahren festgestellt, dass die Bank SYZ SA gegen die Geldwäschereibestimmungen verstossen hatte. Die Verstösse erfolgten im Kontext einer sehr bedeutenden Geschäftsbeziehung mit einem Kunden aus Angola.

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Swiss regulator censures Bank Syz over money laundering

2020-09-26

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2020-09-26

The Swiss financial market regulator FINMA has reprimanded Bank Syz for breaching money laundering rules involving a business relationship with an Angolan client.

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Rapid Covid-19 tests could offer a path back to normal

2020-09-26

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2020-09-26

Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche plans to launch a test that can detect the coronavirus in 15 minutes. Could tests like this become the norm?

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“The U.S. economy felt like a balloon in search of a needle” – Part II

2020-09-26

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2020-09-26

In this surreal policy environment, how has the role and the investment process of the value investor evolved, especially over the last decade?  How can one still identify value in a world of subsidized binge borrowing, extreme indebtedness, and stock buybacks? 

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Dollar Firm as Markets Digest Rising Virus Numbers

2020-09-26

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2020-09-26

Low Death in the "Second Wave", 2020
Markets are digesting the rising infection rates across Europe; the dollar is taking another stab at the upside. Speculation is picking up that a compromise on a stimulus package could be reached; reports suggest House Democrats are working on a new $2.4 trln package as a basis for these negotiations.

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FX Daily, September 25: Sentiment Remains Fragile Ahead of the Weekend

2020-09-25

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2020-09-25

The dramatic week is finishing on a quieter note.  The modest gains in US equities yesterday helped the Asia Pacific performance today.  Most markets but China and Hong Kong pared the weekly losses, and easing regulations in Australia spurred a rally in financials that saw its stock market close higher on the week. 

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Monetary policy assessment of 24 September 2020

2020-09-25

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2020-09-25

SNB Switzerland Conditional Inflation Forecast, September 2020
The coronavirus pandemic continues to exert a strong influence on economic developments. The SNB is therefore maintaining its expansionary monetary policy. In so doing, it aims to cushion the negative impact of the pandemic on economic activity and inflation.

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2500 students quarantined at Lausanne’s hotel school

2020-09-25

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2020-09-25

Around three quarters of the students at the hotel school of Lausanne (EHL) have been placed in quarantine after a number of students tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, reported RTS.

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Switzerland and UK balance sovereignty with EU market access

2020-09-25

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2020-09-25

Britain’s controversial Internal Market Bill has prompted Switzerland’s former chief negotiator with the EU, Michael Ambühl, to examine the thorny issue of sovereignty in EU talks.

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