Tag Archive: newsletter

Swiss Trade Balance Q3 2019: exports still rising thanks to chemistry-pharma

In the third quarter of 2019, foreign trade showed a positive trend: while exports rose by 0.9%, imports posted double growth (+ 1.8%). Both the first and the second have achieved a record quarterly result. The trade balance is closing with a surplus of 5.9 billion francs.

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Libra cryptocurrency soldiers on despite key departures

Facebook’s cryptocurrency payments project, Libra, has suffered a major blow with the withdrawal of seven key partners. But the Geneva-based Libra Association continues to battle on against a regulatory onslaught by adopting a charter and forming an executive team.

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Dutch Central Bank: Gold Bars ‘Always Retain Their Value, Crisis Or No Crisis’

◆ “Gold is the perfect piggy bank – it’s the anchor of trust for the financial system” says the Central Bank of the Netherlands ◆ “If the system collapses, the gold stock can serve as a basis to build it up again” astutely and prudently observes the Dutch Central Bank ◆ The Dutch people “hold more than 600 tonnes of gold. A bar of gold always retains its value, crisis or no crisis”

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USD/CHF technical analysis: Intraday uptick falters just ahead of parity mark

Despite the intraday pullback, the pair has managed to hold above 200-DMA. The near-term technical set-up support prospects for some dip-buying interest. The USD/CHF pair failed to capitalize on its intraday positive move and faced rejection near the key parity mark, albeit has still managed to hold above the very important 200-day SMA.

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FX Daily, October 16: Fickle Market Tempers Enthusiasm

Overview: Fading hopes that a Brexit agreement can be struck is seeing sterling trade broadly lower, while China's demand that US tariffs be rescinded in exchange for a commitment to buy $40-$50 bln of US agriculture goods over two years, makes the handshake agreement less secure. At the same time, Hong Kong is becoming another front in the US-Sino confrontation.

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Let Me Know When It’s Over

Maybe it's my cheap seat or my general exhaustion, but the whole staged spectacle is beyond tiresome; I've had my fill. Let me me know when it's over: yes, all of it: the impeachment, the trade dispute with China, U.S. involvement in Syria, the manic stock market rally and the 2020 election.

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Gefährliche Scheingewinne bei PKs

Die Schweizer Pensionskassen halten rund 30% ihrer Anlagen in klassischen Obligationen. Die meisten dieser Anleihen weisen eine negative Rendite aus. Dies, weil die Kurse so stark gestiegen sind, dass sich auf deren hohem Niveau trotz positivem Coupon (Nominalzins) eine Rendite auf Verfall von unter null ergibt. Das heisst, dass die erwarteten Kursverluste die Zinserträge übersteigen.

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The CHF is the strongest, while the GBP is the weakest as NA traders enter for the day

Well...maybe some NA tradersThe US has a partial holiday with the bond market closed but the US stock markets open. Canada is off for Thanksgiving. So North American traders entering for the day, may be a little stretch today. However, the forex market is open. The CHF is the strongest as some of the euphoria from the events of last week (Brexit hope and China/US) fade and there is a flight into the safety of the CHF (and JPY).

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Spying scandal weighs on Tidjane Thiam’s tenure at Credit Suisse

When Tidjane Thiam arrived at the helm of Credit Suisse in the summer of 2015, he was a hero. Plucked from the same role at UK insurer Prudential, where he had doubled the share price in six years, he had big plans to shrink the Swiss group’s investment bank, slash costs, raise fresh capital and expand in Asia.

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A Gain of 1,080 percent Annualized – One of the Strongest Seasonal Rallies is Starting Right Now

Bitcoin – An Exceptional Asset. When I first heard about Bitcoin (BTC) in May 2011, it was trading at 8 US dollars. Today, more than eight years later, BTC trades at around 8,000 dollars. A thousandfold increase! An investment of 1,000 dollars at the time would have resulted in a gain of more than a million  –  a dream result.

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US Money Supply Growth – Bouncing From a 12-Year Low

True Money Supply Growth Rebounds in September. In August 2019 year-on-year growth of the broad true US money supply (TMS-2) fell to a fresh 12-year low of 1.87%. The 12-month moving average of the growth rate hit a new low for the move as well. The main driver of the slowdown in money supply growth over the past year was the Fed’s decision to decrease its holdings of MBS and treasuries purchased in previous “QE” operations.

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Dollar Resilient as Cracks in Risk-On Appear

Some cracks have appeared in the market’s risk-on sentiment. We continue to believe that recent developments take some pressure off the Fed to cut rates again this month. Our base case for a Brexit delay has been strengthened; UK reported weak labor market data. The situation is Turkey continues to develop negatively for asset prices; trade data out of China once again showed the impact of the trade war and the resulting global slowdown.

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FX Daily, October 15: Non-Disruptive Brexit Hopes Remain Elevated

Overview: Ideas that a Brexit deal may be close is helping to firm sterling, while soft Chinese PPI offset the spike in food prices to show the weakness of the world's second-largest economy. Minutes from the meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia earlier this month kept a door open to a rate cut before the end of the year.  Japan returned from holiday, and the Nikkei gapped higher, and its nearly 1.9% advance led the MSCI Asia Pacific Index...

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Swiss Producer and Import Price Index in September 2019: -2.0 percent YoY, -0,3 percent MoM

15.10.2019 - The Producer and Import Price Index fell in September 2019 by 0.3% compared with the previous month, reaching 101.1 points (December 2015 = 100). This decline is due in particular to lower prices for petroleum products and scrap. Compared with September 2018, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products fell by 2.0%.

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USD/CHF technical analysis: Pivots around 200-day SMA, near mid-0.9900s

Continued with its struggle to extend the momentum beyond 200-DMA. Bears eye a decisive break below the ascending trend-channel support. Bulls are likely to await a sustained strength above the key parity mark. The USD/CHF pair failed to capitalize on last week's attempted rebound from a support marked by the lower end of a two-month-old ascending trend-channel and met with some fresh supply on Monday.

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Unions urge probe on asbestos-linked deaths

Labour unions are demanding a probe of companies’ pre-1990 working conditions in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino, in connection with recent asbestos-linked deaths. They are targeting particularly Swiss Federal Railways and the Swiss accident insurance fund SUVA.

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Swiss upper house calls on executive to end marriage tax penalty

In Switzerland, some married couples pay more tax than unmarried ones, something referred to as the marriage tax penalty. The issue has been doing the rounds of the halls of Switzerland’s government for around 30 years. On 28 February 2016, a vote to change the current system was narrowly rejected by 50.8% of voters.

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Motte and Bailey Fallacy, Report 13 Oct

This week, we will delve into something really abstract. Not like monetary economics, which is so simple even a caveman can do it. We refer to a clever rhetorical trick. It’s when someone makes a broad and important assertion, in very general terms. But when challenged, the assertion is switched for one that is entirely uncontroversial but also narrow and unimportant.

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FX Daily, October 14: Optimism Took the Weekend Off

Overview: Japanese and Canadian markets are on holiday today. While the US bond market is closed, equities maintain their regular hours today. Asia Pacific equities rallied, led by 1% of more gains in China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand. The buying did not continue in Europe, and after a 2.3% rally before the weekend, the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is about 0.75% lower in the European morning.

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FX Weekly Preview: Same Three Drivers in the Week Ahead but Changing Tones

Three themes have dominated the investment climate:  US-China tensions, Brexit, and the policy response to the disinflationary forces.  None have been resolved, which contributes to the uncertainty for businesses, households, and investors.  However, the negativity that has prevailed is receding a little. 

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