Tag Archive: newsletter

Crouching Silver, Hidden Oil Market Report 20 Apr

2020-04-21

by

2020-04-21

Gold Basis and Co-basis and the Dollar Price
The price of gold has been up steadily for the last 30 days (with a few zigs and zags), now re-attaining the high it achieved prior to the big drop in March. Gold ended the week at $1,662. Alas, it’s not quite the same story in silver, whose price drop was bigger. Now its price blip is smaller. Silver ended the week at $15.19.

Read More »

Dollar Firm as Equities and Oil Start the Week Under Pressure

2020-04-20

by

2020-04-20

Front-Month Oil Futures, 2015-2020
The lockdown vs. opening debate continues in just about every country; the dollar is consolidating recent gains. Reports suggest the White House and House Democrats are nearing a deal on another aid package worth nearly $500 bln; the extra fiscal stimulus will add to downward ratings pressure on the US.

Read More »

Coronavirus called a ‘decisive test’ for the UN system  

2020-04-20

by

2020-04-20

The pandemic is testing the limits of the United Nations system, say Geneva and New York-based experts, amid funding challenges and an ongoing blame game between the United States and China. The UN is marking its 75th anniversaryexternal link this year. What could have been a year of celebration is becoming a year of crisis.

Read More »

Surviving Covid-19: the Swiss economy’s strengths and weaknesses

2020-04-20

by

2020-04-20

The current pandemic will plunge the world economy into recession, at least in the first part of the year. What tools does Switzerland have to minimise the economic and social damage of this crisis? And what factors could jeopardise the prospects for an economic recovery?

Read More »

How Government Makes a Pandemic More Deadly

2020-04-20

by

2020-04-20

In the early days of the outbreak, pundits rushed to the ramparts of Twitter to proclaim that “there are no libertarians in a pandemic.” However, this glee at the apparent failure of markets was soon dashed as more evidence accumulated showing that government intervention was actually the main impediment to success.

Read More »

Digital grassroots response to government bailouts

2020-04-19

by

2020-04-19

The CHF60 billion Swiss state bailout of companies is well underway. But there is a feeling that government funds that hand out loans and pay workers’ wages will not be enough. How do companies maintain contact with customers and develop their brands during a lockdown?

Read More »

Coronavirus: numbers in Switzerland slow further

2020-04-19

by

2020-04-19

By 14 April 2020, a total 25,936 cases of Covid-19 infection had been recorded in Switzerland, a rise of 3,683 over the preceding 7 days. However, despite the continued rise in cases there are indications measures to slowdown the spread of the virus are working.

Read More »

Overcapacity / Oversupply Everywhere: Massive Deflation Ahead

2020-04-19

by

2020-04-19

Light Crude Oil, 2018-2020
The price of a great many assets will crash, out of proportion to the decline in demand. Oil is the poster child of the forces driving massive deflation: overcapacity / oversupply and a collapse in demand. Overcapacity / oversupply and a collapse in demand are not limited to the crude oil market; rather, they are the dominant realities in the global economy.

Read More »

How to Think About the Fed Now

2020-04-19

by

2020-04-19

[This text is excerpted from the introduction to The Anatomy of the Crash, a Mises Institute ebook to be released in April 2020.] The Great Crash of 2020 was not caused by a virus. It was precipitated by the virus, and made worse by the crazed decisions of governments around the world to shut down business and travel. But it was caused by economic fragility.

Read More »

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Pandemic and Growth

2020-04-18

by

2020-04-18

There is no way authorities can limit the coronavirus and restore global growth and debt expansion to December 2019 levels. Authorities around the world are between a rock and a hard place: they need policies that both limit the spread of the coronavirus and allow their economies to "open for business." The two demands are inherently incompatible, and so neither one can be fulfilled.

Read More »

Interest groups present demands for coronavirus exit plans

2020-04-18

by

2020-04-18

Political parties, trade unions and other interest groups have published their proposals for the government to relax restrictions introduced to stem the Covid-19 pandemic. The calls come a day ahead of the government’s decision on a nationwide coronavirus exit strategy, notably a staggered resumption of business activities and the reopening of schools.

Read More »

Builders in Denial

2020-04-18

by

2020-04-18

The year 2006 seems like a lifetime ago. The housing boom seemed to be going full throttle, but danger lurked. I wrote on LewRockwell.com in March of that year, concerning a Las Vegas real estate seminar, that “nary a discouraging word was spoken.”

Read More »

More high-profile brands desert the Baselworld fair

2020-04-17

by

2020-04-17

Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chanel will not exhibit at the Baselworld watch and jewellery trade show in 2021. The announcement marks another blow to the event, which has already seen high-profile exits, including by the Swatch Group.

Read More »

Pandemic takes a heavy toll on consumer confidence 

2020-04-17

by

2020-04-17

Switzerland’s consumer confidence index plummeted to a “historically low” level in April, according to a Wednesday statement from the Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The index fell to -40 points, compared to -9 points in January, when the previous survey was conducted. That marks the lowest results since the early 1990s.

Read More »

Gold Stocks – A Show of Strength

2020-04-17

by

2020-04-17

Gold Sector Outperforms Broad Market. The gold sector is in an uptrend since September 2018. The initially rather labored move accelerated after a secondary low was established in May 2019 and the 50-day and 200-day moving averages were breached for the second time. Last week the two moving averages were once again overcome in the course of the post-crash rebound.

Read More »

Why This Bubble Economy Keeps Going and Going

2020-04-17

by

2020-04-17

The Fed's "bail out" package eases stress in the US credit Market, 2007-2020
Quite a few people may wonder why the global fiat money system has not yet collapsed. The fiat money system did not crash in the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009, when a great many people feared the debt pyramid would come crashing down.

Read More »

FX Daily, April 16: Markets Brace for another Jump in US Weekly Jobless Claims

2020-04-16

by

2020-04-16

Overview:  Equity losses in the US appeared to drag most Asia Pacific markets lower today, with China and India the notable exceptions.  European bourses are higher, and the only energy sector is a drag on the Dow Jones Stoxx 600,  which is around 1% higher in late morning turnover, while US shares are also trading firmer.  Asia Pacific 10-year benchmark yields eased. 

Read More »

Swiss Producer and Import Price Index in March 2020: -2.7 percent YoY, -0.3 percent MoM

2020-04-16

by

2020-04-16

Switzerland Producer Price Index (PPI) YoY, March 2020
16.04.2020 - The Producer and Import Price Index fell in March 2020 by 0.3% compared with the previous month, reaching 99.4 points (December 2015 = 100). This decline is due in particular to lower prices for petroleum products. Compared with March 2019, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products fell by 2.7%.

Read More »

Covid-19 therapy could come by end of year, vaccine in 2021

2020-04-16

by

2020-04-16

Swiss pharma and business insiders predict that an effective drug therapy against Covid-19 will be available by the end of this year, but a vaccine might take a year longer than that. “In the best-case scenario, a drug could be available before the end of 2020,” said on Monday Francesco De Rubertis, director and co-founder of Medicxi, a Geneva-based venture capital company that invests in biotechnology.

Read More »

The Global Engine Is Still Leaking

2020-04-16

by

2020-04-16

Federal Reserve: Liabilities & Capital, 1984-2019
An internal combustion engine that is leaking oil presents a difficult dilemma. In most cases, the leak itself is obscured if not completely hidden. You can only tell that there’s a problem because of secondary signs and observations.If you find dark stains underneath your car, for example, or if your engine smells of thick, bitter unpleasantness, you’d be wise to consider the possibility.

Read More »