Finance & market risks
Background on financial-market risks from a preparedness perspective – fact-based, sourced and without investment advice.
As of: 29.09.2026
Articles
The AI bubble: why the AI boom is a financial-market risk
Prices around artificial intelligence have risen enormously in just a few years. Whether this is a speculative bubble is a possibility – not a fact. This page puts the known data into context, shows the web of companies involved and explains why a concentration in a handful of stocks can also be a cluster risk for Swiss retirement provision.
Open articleValuables in Crisis: What Really Counts
The value of a good depends not on the price tag, but on the situation. In a normal week, money counts; in a crisis, it counts what money cannot buy right now. This order shifts with time: in the first hours, cash in small denominations, drinking water, light, fuel and information are in demand; after weeks, medicines, barter goods and practical skills. In the extreme case – as in Venezuela between 2016 and 2021 – money itself loses almost all its value. This article puts this value shift into sober context. It is not investment advice, but a preparedness perspective: whoever understands what becomes scarce when, prepares more deliberately. It is about provision, not panic.
Open articleInflation & Purchasing-Power Loss: What rising prices do to your savings
Inflation is the silent erosion of wealth: not the account balance that shrinks, but what you can buy with it. This page explains soberly how purchasing-power loss works, why Switzerland has fared better than its peers, and what the national bank actually aims for. It is about awareness and preparedness – not investment advice.
Open articleBank Crisis & Deposit Insurance: how safe your money really is at the bank
"My money is safe in the bank" – that's true, but with limits. In Switzerland, the esisuisse deposit insurance protects bank deposits up to CHF 100,000 per customer and bank against failure. This protection is not immediately available, not unlimited, and not designed for a widespread systemic crisis. This page explains soberly what is covered, where the boundaries lie, why payout takes time, and what the Credit Suisse case of 2023 revealed. It's about awareness and precaution – not financial advice.
Open articleAlternative Trade Systems in a Crisis: How Trade Works Without a Bank
What if your card stops working, the ATM is empty, or money loses its value? In such situations, people have always found ways to keep trading: with cash and foreign currency, by running a tab, through barter, cigarettes as money, shared clearing accounts, vouchers, hawala networks or escrow. This article introduces these systems one by one – how they work, where they are documented in real crises, whom you have to trust, and what is legal in Switzerland. It is not investment or legal advice, but preparedness knowledge: those who understand these systems also recognise their pitfalls.
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