Economy

Fed vs. inflation
Trump's pressure on the Fed could put a damper on the next head

Donald Trump has repeatedly put explicit pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. And when central bank chief Jerome Powell steps down next year, Trump wants to replace him with someone who is willing to "cut interest rates," writes Bloomberg.

According to the news site, however, the American president risks undermining the next Fed chief's position even before he takes office.

- People will wonder what the person promised, what promises, winks and nods have been given to be nominated. I think it's very bad for the next Fed chief. And I think it's really bad for the Fed's credibility, says economist Jon Faust at Johns Hopkins University.

Crypto market
Tax Agency: Unusual to declare crypto transactions

Only one in twenty who make crypto transactions include them in their tax return. That's the assessment made by the Tax Agency after its latest audit.

According to a press release, the audit led to a decision to increase taxes by a total of 210 million kronor. The number of people who actually declared crypto was 9,000 last year, an increase from 6,000 the year before.

Next year, the Swedish Tax Agency's audit capabilities will increase as a result of new regulations, according to the authority's crypto taxation specialist, Anna Olofsson.

- Crypto players will have to report information about their users' crypto trading plus the data will be exchanged internationally, she says in the press release.

The development of AI
Storytel carries books from AI publishers

Storytel carries AI-generated audiobooks from a publisher accused of copyright infringement. Content manager Helena Gustafsson says that a publisher is being started that only publishes literature created and read by AI, writes Svenska Dagbladet.

-This means that there will be an incredible number of more titles, and that it will be harder to get through the noise.

Previously, Storytel had AI audiobooks from the publisher that were distributed via the Findaway platform owned by Spotify. Findaway said in a comment to SvD that content is quickly removed from the platform if the rights holders flag it. At the same time, Spotify is negotiating with Swedish publishers about access to audiobooks on its own streaming service.

Swedish inflation
Economists: Be un-Swedish – negotiate the interest rate

The unexpectedly high inflation in June could prevent falling mortgage rates, writes SvD Näringsliv, which has spoken to experts on how to act. The advice: Review the loans, compare banks and dare to negotiate.

– Be a little un-Swedish and demand answers about why you should pay more than others, says Claudia Wörmann, housing economist at the mortgage institution Hypoteket, to SvD.

Christina Sahlberg, savings economist at Compricer, is on the same track. Many forget to negotiate.

– Most of us in Sweden have one of the major banks as our bank and many have had a good interest discount that has expired, she tells GP.

The difference between variable and fixed interest rates is small. Therefore, according to experts, the choice should be about how much uncertainty you can handle.