Economy / Finance

All-out attack on private property by the state and banks

by Prof. Dr. Eberhard Hamer,* Germany

1. The risk of expropriation of monetary assets

(20 June 2025) By definition, “money” is an asset that we seek as a means of exchange and for the preservation of value.

This was indeed the case in the past, when precious metal coins made of gold, silver or copper not only had a monetary value, but also a tangible value – such as the Krugerrand made of gold or the 5-D-Mark pieces made of silver.

However, gold and silver are heavy and therefore often difficult to transport and secure in large sums.

The currency then became paper money through banknotes, which replaced the coins. They were easier to hold, transport and store than coins and yet were considered to have the same value in circulation as coins because they could be exchanged for the amount printed on them at any time. The guarantor of the value was the state or the state central bank, with the FED for the first time a private central bank.
China

Chongqing, the global city the world prefers to ignore

by Guy Mettan,* Geneva

(23 May 2025) (CH-S) What do we know about China? News, reports and articles about the country are mostly negative due to the one-sided reporting of our mainstream media. Guy Mettan’s travelogue offers a very different perspective. Read it for yourself.

UBS – state guarantee encourages risk-taking and speculation

New statutory guarantees planned by the federal government

by Rudolf Strahm*

(7 March 2025) (CH-S) In the spring session (3–21 March 2025), new legislation is to be introduced to regulate state aid for large, systemically important banks. Since 2008, there has been no effective legal regulation in place to protect taxpayers from the enormous financial consequences of a bank collapse. There is still no talk of a clear separation between speculative and business activities.

In a guest article, former federal price supervisor and former SP National Councillor Rudolf Strahm explains the problems with the current legislative proposal. What measures are planned, and how should the new statutory liquidity guarantee of the federal government work with the so-called “Public Liquidity Backstop” (PLB)?

Can China rise peacefully?

Professor Glenn Diesen,* Norway

(13 December 2024) The spectacular rise of China will inevitably spark security competition with the US and create tensions between the two leading economies in the world. The peaceful rise of China is, however, not solely the responsibility of Beijing as the US must also manage the security competition by accommodating shifts in the international distribution of power. The US constructed an international system based on unipolarity/global dominance after the Cold War, and attempting to preserve this system when it no longer reflects realities on the ground will make it near impossible to manage the security competition.

The German government in the network of digital health transformers

Whose interests are served by our health policy?

by Norbert Häring,* Germany

(6 December 2024) (CH-S) How far does the influence of pharmaceutical/IT companies extend into political decisions in the healthcare sector? Norbert Häring traces clandestine conditions in Germany. Is the health of citizens being subordinated to the business of an international health industry? Can conclusions be drawn for Switzerland? The dispute between two IT companies over the equipping of Swiss hospitals with IT software worth hundreds of millions lets us prick our ears and take notice. Are our health insurance contributions and tax millions being spent sensibly, and who is profiting from them? It is worth taking a look at Germany.

“Cooperation and development”

China – Switzerland’s third largest trading partner

Interview with Consul General Chen Yun*

(6 December 2024) (CH-S) “Swiss Standpoint” had the opportunity to ask the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Ms Chen Yun, about relations between Switzerland and China. The occasion was an invitation to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in September.

Switzerland was one of the first countries to recognise the People’s Republic of China after its founding and has sought to maintain good relations ever since. The free trade agreement between the two countries, which has been in force since 2014, is a milestone in this regard. Especially in geopolitically challenging times, it is important to maintain a broad network of positive relationships.