Australia: A window on the future of print
Newscorp the owner of print and on line publications across the world has called time on more than 100 local and regional printed papers in Australia. All 110 will from now on only be available on line. This is part of a widespread review of the Newscorp business model. The Murdoch family have long proved themselves adept at reading market trends and this is an example of gaining first mover advantage as for sure others will follow suit.
No not a contradiction in terms but all true: the Swiss hills were alive with the sound of sex workers preparing for a return to work yesterday afternoon. However wrestling, judo and boxing as well as nightclubs which all involve “close and sustained physical contact” are still not permitted. Kind of begs another question about those Swiss erotic services, but that’s not for here. Swiss Franc CHF slightly limper versus USD at 0.97.
“Not many people know that”…with thanks to Michael Caine (87 and going strong if you didn’t know that ) but in this case it’s to do with saunas. Estonia not only has the climate but also the expertise when it comes to building and selling saunas for peoples’ back gardens. Since March the industry has started sizzling as sales have eclipsed the whole of the previous full year. Seasoned SGM-FX sauna aficionado Charles puts this down to lockdown rather than the wisdom of President Alexander Lubashenko from neighbouring Belarus; some readers may recall that it was Lubashenko who opined in April that 3 things would cure Covid: vodka, tractors and….saunas!
Have a very good and enjoyable weekend!
Discussion and Analysis by Humphrey Percy, Chairman and Founder

Defiance Yesterday’s market was defying one of two things: logic or gravity. Come to think of it, perhaps both. Take cable, GBPUSD, yesterday. The key events beyond minor data releases centred around any chatter from either side of the Iranian conflict and Starmer singing for his supper. Sing he did and tweet the President did, […]
A technicality Markets appeared to be fatigued by Trump’s Iran war before a ceasefire had even been agreed. This was evident from pricing that would have been considered complacent should the conflict have dragged on longer than it ultimately did. Now, that saga is far from over – it’s inevitable, for example, that as the […]
Short-lived relief rally A tantrum in the bond market has continued to erode away at risk conditions in recent sessions. In the UK, the sell-off in gilts and corporate bonds has been particularly acute thanks to heightened political instability, the origins of which we have covered thoroughly in recent briefings. Yesterday, headlines delivered enough optimism […]