LOL the Swiss didn't turn the Euro into Swiss Cheese. The Euro nations did and the Swiss just decided not to join the bloodletting and thus called it for what it is, rubbish. The Euro is weak enough as is. If you add QE problems to it then you are talking about a currency with Socialist bankruptcy problems and mixing it with Japan style accounting games going on as well. Thus you will have a failing economy with bankrupt parts and combining it with QE stagnation that kills growth. It's like mixing a zombie with a disease that causes suicidal insanity and disables growth and self preservation. There is no hope of escaping such a state and the Swiss are right, get as far away as possible.

LOL meat and produce went up partially due to the fact farmers are having trouble getting enough water. Rent went up because the Federal Reserve helps TBTF banks get 3enough liquidity to collect defaulted property and sit on it forever which is partially thanks to accounting changes that prevent them from marking the asset to market as long as they don't rent or sell it.

In addition, housing went up because Fannie and Freddie are manipulating housing up to save their own balance sheet and control most of the market save expensive housing like the Soviet Union since they should be considered part of the government. It is pathetic that the US, champion of the free world relies of government funded and controlled agencies or socialism in fact to manage 90% of housing and claims its because there are no free market alternatives that can compete with them. No duh. That's because like socialism, the government and thus the taxpayers and common people do pay the risk for them and will inevitably pay for it in spades yet again.

Nice to point out the move of government jobs to contractors. Sadly many governments are having to pass laws for employees underworking their jobs and then trying to get contracted to do their jobs as contractors for more money. As wasteful as ever.

I also want to point out that the drop off in government jobs is as usual where it hurts the public the most. In this case its local government that provides police, fire, and your basic services. And it probably is because, as we have seen time and time again, every time government is told to shrink they argue they have nowhere to shrink and refuse to even consider management, paper pushing, and other jobs. They go right after parks, law enforcement, fire, and those providing public services. Cut the bureaucracy for once.

LOL those that say the Swiss are killing their market are gravely mistaken. They are insulating themselves from the markets engaged in socialistic QE behavior that will eventually destroy their economies. Theoretically there is a way out of QE, but so far there has been no successful example of mass QE with Japan proving that not just the end result is terrible, but the path leading up to it is equally horrific.

The funny thing is the rates you get on many investments doesn't even cover risk making them all terrible. I fully agree with the author that investors are being badly misled about the risk they are indulging in, but I can't blame them. In a programmed economy with socialistic tendencies it is virtually impossible to read market signs. That is why they always eventually crash in the most disasterous ways.

The US has already done the same for TBTF banks and their central bank. Ergo the listless economy which is a foreshadowing of Japan's endless nightmare. QE is the result of not foolish people but the result of a few connected people and bankers who decide to get rich off of the suffering of the greater economy. It's about time we woke up and chose capitalism again.

Friday and Monday lift ups are always suspect. Friday is often traders taking advantage of uncertainty over the weekend which keeps normal traders chasing daily trends and Mondays are often people including the Treasury and banks under the treasury and governments trying to set the tone of the market. The argument that the drop in oil is finished is really laughable. There is still way more being produced than used and storage is still reaching brimming points.

A few drops in production will not pull supply anywhere close to demand and as many point out, the price of oil must hit closer to $20 to squeeze any significant people out of producing. And even then they already invested capital, they may pump anyways. In the meantime, other asset classes will also feel the downward pressure as the effects of overproduction induced by Federal Reserve silliness and outright gambling unwinds. Sadly, the Federal Reserve is getting desperate because most of the gambling will affect the TBTF banks they encouraged to gamble in the first place.

The reason why the markets of the world sold off on the Franc is that it not everyone is happy and not everyone will go along with Europe engaging in the QE fraud that has eaten Japan to a 20 year economic stagnation pulp and is currently about to knaw on the US which can't get back into any semblance of healthiness save to gamble like mad on asset classes that the Federal Reserve wants to rise regardless of any fundamental justification (mainly property, the stock market, and US Treasuries).

In fact if Europe decides not to engage in QE to make fake money to feed the PIGS then Europe will be forced to face economic reality. The market pulled out of it's last swoons hoping the EU would engage in QE socialism with Germany's acceptance because not doing so would be a threat to EU countries which can't manage their finances. The Swiss know very much like everyone else that means it will be used not just in Greece, but Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, etc. Pretty much everyone in the EU besides Germany is fiscally destitute. That's what you get when you replace capitalism with socialism. Ask Russia.

The fact there is a glut in oil, steel, copper, and just about everything made by these really should make economists with rose colored glasses blanche. Clearly there is a disconnect between supply and demand at best and a severe drop off is more likely. I really question those who continue to say the economy is recovering briskly in light of these facts.

Really guys? You mean it or are you just trying to please someone by lying to the public?

Politicians are trying to force wage increases which actually further curtails hiring and will lead to inflation before any real economic growth.