Tag Archive: newslettersent

Season’s Greetings

2017-12-29

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2017-12-29

A Difficult, but Also Exciting Year… Dear Readers, Another year is coming to a close, and the team at Acting Man wishes you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays and all the best for the new year. You have probably noticed that your main scribe was a lot less prolific this year than he normally tends to be; unfortunately, we were held back by health-related issues.

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2018 ECB outlook – Mission: possible

2017-12-28

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2017-12-28

ECB Asset Purchase Programmes, March 2015 - December 2017
We expect the ECB to announce a tapering of its asset purchase programme in the summer, but not to overreact to strong economic data. Our first choice as the title for our 2018 ECB outlook was “The courage not to act”, but regular readers will know that we used this hommage to Ben Bernanke earlier this year.

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Chinese demand leads the Swiss watch industry’s recovery

2017-12-28

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2017-12-28

Switzerland Exports, 2005 - 2017
The most important driver of the Swiss watch industry’s recovery has been the revival of the mainland China market. After years of impressive growth, the Swiss watch industry faced difficult conditions in 2015 and 2016, when exports declined by 3.2% and 9.9% respectively in value terms.

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Emerging Markets: What has Changed

2017-12-28

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2017-12-28

Fitch upgraded Indonesia by a notch to BBB with stable outlook. EU-Poland tensions entered a new phase. Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as the new ANC President over opponent Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Argentina’s lower house approved President Macri’s pension reform bill. Sebastian Pinera won the Chilean presidency in the second round vote.

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Darwin Airlines bankruptcy under criminal investigation

2017-12-28

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2017-12-28

The public prosecutor of the southern Swiss canton of Ticino has opened criminal proceedings over irregularities concerning the bankruptcy of regional carrier Darwin Airlines. According to the SonntagsZeitung paper, the Ticino public prosecutor opened criminal proceedings against “unknown persons” on Thursday after the bankruptcy office in Lugano drew his attention to suspected irregularities.

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Great St Bernard Tunnel reopens after three-month closure

2017-12-28

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2017-12-28

Switzerland’s oldest traffic tunnel through the Alps reopened on Christmas eve after a three-month closure due to problems with the ventilation system. After extensive repair work, the tunnel that connects Martigny in the western Swiss canton of Valais with the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy reopened to traffic at 8am on Sunday. Motorists wishing to traverse the Alps though the tunnel can travel for free until January 1, 2018

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Christmas 2017: Why I’m Hopeful

2017-12-28

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2017-12-28

Constantine Cavafy Poem
A more human world lies just beyond the edge of the Status Quo. Readers often ask me to post something hopeful, and I understand why: doom-and-gloom gets tiresome. Human beings need hope just as they need oxygen, and the destruction of the Status Quo via over-reach and internal contradictions doesn't leave much to be happy about.

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Switzerland UBS consumption indicator November: Solid private consumption in 2018

2017-12-27

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2017-12-27

Switzerland Private Consumption and UBS Consumption Indicator, November 2017
At 1.67 points, the UBS consumption indicator was above its long-term average in November, indicating solid consumption growth in 2018. Thanks to solid economic growth, private consumption will likely continue expanding despite rising inflation.

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FX Daily, December 27: What Happened on Boxing Day?

2017-12-27

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2017-12-27

There were several developments on the day after Christmas, while many markets remained closed and investors sidelined. One of the most important developments was the euro's complete recovery from the flash crash of nearly three percent on Christmas day in the North American time zone.

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Swiss National Bank buys paper factory for banknote production

2017-12-27

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2017-12-27

To guarantee the smooth roll-out of its new banknote series, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) has bought a struggling paper factory in eastern Switzerland. The takeover of Landqart AG, valued at CHF21.5 million ($21.7 million), is split between the SNB (90%) and the security printing division of Swiss publisher Orell Füssli (10%).

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Bitcoin: Attention à l’arnaque. Dossier.

2017-12-27

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2017-12-27

C’est la monnaie préférée des pirates informatiques. Celle qu’exigent les hackers lorsqu’ils formulent une demande de rançon. Mais pas seulement ! Depuis que le bitcoin flambe (il a dépassé le 15 décembre les 17 000 dollars), de plus en plus de fonds d’investissement, alléchés par les perspectives haussières de son cours, s’y intéressent. Et de nombreux sites de commerce en ligne se mettent à facturer produits et services dans cette...

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Public Eye issues criminal complaint against Glencore

2017-12-27

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2017-12-27

Swiss NGO Public Eye has filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland against the activities of Swiss commodities giant Glencore in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Office of the Attorney Generalexternal link on Tuesday confirmed receipt of the complaint but said further details were currently not possible, according to the Swiss News Agency.

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Santa’s Stock Market Rally: Tears of Joy, Or Just Tears?

2017-12-27

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2017-12-27

VXX S&P 500
Judging by this year's version of Santa Claus's reliable year-end stock market rally, risk has vanished, not just in stocks but in bonds, junk bonds, housing, commercial real estate, collectible art--just about the entire spectrum of tradable assets (with precious metals and agricultural commodities among the few receiving coals rather than rallies).

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US to overtake Switzerland in WEF competitiveness survey?

2017-12-24

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2017-12-24

Most Problematic Factor for Business in US
The US is about to enact significant corporate tax cuts, and could therefore edge closer to the number 1 spot in the World Economic Forum’s ranking – currently held by Switzerland. The US is about to enact significant corporate tax cuts, that will see the federal statutory corporate tax rate drop to 21%, from 35%, starting in January (see our latest note ‘US tax cuts update – 19 December 2017’).

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How much more you need to earn in Switzerland to breakeven

2017-12-24

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2017-12-24

Recently published international price comparison numbers show just how expensive life is in Switzerland. The price of a standard basket of items, including food, clothing, accommodation, healthcare, transport, education and other regular expenses, was far higher in Switzerland than in the rest of Europe.

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Veterinary office lifts quarantine for Swiss chicken farm

2017-12-24

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2017-12-24

A poultry farm in southern Switzerland has been given a clean bill of health following a recent outbreak of the virulent Newcastle virus that resulted in thousands of chickens being put down. Veterinarians in canton Ticino confirmed that the farm is no longer infected and that all remaining animals are now free of the disease.

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New Rules For Cross-Border Cash and Gold Bullion Movements

2017-12-24

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2017-12-24

Safe
New EU Rules For Cross-Border Cash, Gold Bullion Movements. War on cash continues and expands to affect non-criminals including gold owners. New definitions of “cash” to be drawn up by EU to include gold and precious metals. Claim cash and gold bullion “often used for criminal activities such as money laundering, or terrorist financing”. Legislation will allow authorities to seize assets from those ‘without a criminal conviction’. New rules usurp...

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US tax bill looks set to pass

2017-12-24

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2017-12-24

The tax bill continues to make its way through Congress at a swift pace, and now looks increasingly likely to be enacted into law this week, after clearing the conference committee hurdle (a compromise between the House and Senate versions). A few hesitating Republican Senators have eventually said they will vote in favour of the bill, which is key as the Republican majority in the Senate is slim at 52-48. It will shrink to 51-49 in January after...

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Federal Council adopts measures to tackle high prices in Switzerland

2017-12-23

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2017-12-23

Swiss flag is pictured next to Jet d'Eau and Lake Leman from the St-Pierre Cathedrale in Geneva
On 20 December the Federal Council decided to unilaterally remove tariffs on imported industrial goods. Tariffs will also be reduced on selected agricultural goods not produced in Switzerland. Furthermore, the government wants to apply the Cassis de Dijon principle more widely by reducing the number of exceptions to it. These measures should lead to considerable savings of around CHF 900 million for businesses and consumers. Previously, on 8...

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‘Gold Strengthens Public Confidence In The Central Bank’ – Bundesbank

2017-12-23

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2017-12-23

Bundesbank Gold Bar
‘Availability of gold strengthens public confidence in the central bank’s balance sheet’ say Bundesbank. Bundesbank has Audited Reserves amounting to almost 3,400 tonnes, around 68% of Bundesbank’s reserve assets. Bank taken series of steps to increase transparency around Germany’s gold holdings. Germany has second largest gold holdings in the world; U.S. believed to be largest. Transparency important and all central banks should follow the...

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