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There are a lot of interlocking threads in the Greek saga. One consistent theme that ties all of the different threads together is the fragility of complex systems. In our globalized and complex world of finance and banking, every major actor has  innumerable ties to other major actors such that devastating collapses in one entity [...]

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Benchmark Currencies: 16 Dec 2008

Nearly one year later and the U.S. dollar is looking very weak – and not just against the Euro, but also against Sterling and Swissy, and especially against the Loonie and the Aussie Dollar.  Even the Japanese Yen is up against the U.S. Dollar. And of course, the Chinese Yuan is [...]

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The number is zero.  According to a recent Harvard study, two of every three bankruptcies in the US are medical-related. That’s why at least catastrophic coverage for everyone is the real purpose of healthcare reform. Why some Americans don’t understand this is beyond me.

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It is refreshing to read the foreign press because they have decidedly different takes on issues.Whether you agree or not, it is important to hear those views.
The Swiss are very negative on the U.S. and their tax fight against UBS. This has them dredging up pass legal skirmishes. Here’s an article from the Swiss [...]

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The U.S. has been using the weakness of the UBS banking franchise to shake down the organization for the names of American clients suspected of using the bank to dodge taxes in the United States. As far as the Swiss government is concerned, this would set a bad precedent in the Swiss banking community where [...]

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Dollar bears are getting their way in the currency markets right now.  While most eyes are peeled on Sterling (up 3 big figures since Friday) and the Euro, all currencies are rising against the Dollar (including the Commodity Dollar Complex – Auusie, Kiwi, and Loonie).  For me, the most interesting currency is the Swiss Franc [...]

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This past Sunday Felix Salmon wrote a post called “10 reasons for the lack of German econobloggers.” I found it inaccurate and offensive. Let me tell you why.
I was in Germany at the time I read the post and had been there for the better part of the week. In reading and [...]

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This comes from French-language Swiss daily Le Temps:
Over 50% of respondents in Geneva surveyed by the HEG School of Management believe that the bankruptcy of a large institution is likely.
The Swiss political world is clearly convinced that it will never let one of the major banks in the country go bankrupt. Despite the rescue of [...]

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I am sure you have seen the catastrophic financial results of Swiss bank UBS released this week. I have been saying for quite some time that UBS is too big to fail, but also too big to bail for tiny Switzerland. In my view, the recent financial results demonstrate that, although this situation has [...]

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First Spain, now Switzerland:
Consumer prices in March were down 0.4% from a year ago, the Federal Statistics Office said, a 50-year low.
The country has been close to deflation all year, with inflation having fallen from a peak of 3.1% in July 2008. The rate was 0.2% in February.
The Swiss National Bank predicts that inflation will [...]