USD/CHF falls toward 0.8000 despite fading safe-haven demand
|- USD/CHF may regain ground as the US Dollar Index may further advance on increasing cautious tone surrounding the Fed outlook.
- CME FedWatch shows a 95% probability the Fed will keep rates unchanged at January’s meeting.
- The safe-haven Swiss Franc could come under pressure as concerns over Iran and Fed independence ease.
USD/CHF pares its recent gains from the previous session, trading around 0.8020 during the Asian hours on Friday. The downside of the pair could be restrained as the US Dollar (USD) may regain its ground amid rising cautious sentiment surrounding the Federal Reserve (Fed) policy outlook.
Thursday’s US Initial Jobless Claims data reinforced the likelihood that the Fed will keep interest rates on hold for the coming months. According to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, Fed funds futures continue to price in about a 95% probability that the US central bank will keep rates unchanged at its January 27–28 meeting.
Fed funds futures have pushed expectations for the next rate cut back to June, reflecting stronger labor market conditions and policymakers’ concerns over sticky inflation. Traders are likely to look for further direction from the US December Industrial Production data and comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) officials later in the day.
Data from the US Department of Labor (DOL) showed Initial Jobless Claims unexpectedly fell to 198K in the week ended January 10, below market expectations of 215K and down from the prior week’s revised 207K. The data confirmed that layoffs remain limited and that the labor market is holding up despite an extended period of high borrowing costs.
The safe-haven Swiss Franc (CHF) may face challenges against the US Dollar amid easing concerns over Iran and Fed independence. Market sentiment improved after US President Donald Trump said he has no plans to remove Fed Chair Jerome Powell despite reported Justice Department indictment threats and signalled a possible delay in action on Iran.
Swiss Franc FAQs
The Swiss Franc (CHF) is Switzerland’s official currency. It is among the top ten most traded currencies globally, reaching volumes that well exceed the size of the Swiss economy. Its value is determined by the broad market sentiment, the country’s economic health or action taken by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), among other factors. Between 2011 and 2015, the Swiss Franc was pegged to the Euro (EUR). The peg was abruptly removed, resulting in a more than 20% increase in the Franc’s value, causing a turmoil in markets. Even though the peg isn’t in force anymore, CHF fortunes tend to be highly correlated with the Euro ones due to the high dependency of the Swiss economy on the neighboring Eurozone.
The Swiss Franc (CHF) is considered a safe-haven asset, or a currency that investors tend to buy in times of market stress. This is due to the perceived status of Switzerland in the world: a stable economy, a strong export sector, big central bank reserves or a longstanding political stance towards neutrality in global conflicts make the country’s currency a good choice for investors fleeing from risks. Turbulent times are likely to strengthen CHF value against other currencies that are seen as more risky to invest in.
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) meets four times a year – once every quarter, less than other major central banks – to decide on monetary policy. The bank aims for an annual inflation rate of less than 2%. When inflation is above target or forecasted to be above target in the foreseeable future, the bank will attempt to tame price growth by raising its policy rate. Higher interest rates are generally positive for the Swiss Franc (CHF) as they lead to higher yields, making the country a more attractive place for investors. On the contrary, lower interest rates tend to weaken CHF.
Macroeconomic data releases in Switzerland are key to assessing the state of the economy and can impact the Swiss Franc’s (CHF) valuation. The Swiss economy is broadly stable, but any sudden change in economic growth, inflation, current account or the central bank’s currency reserves have the potential to trigger moves in CHF. Generally, high economic growth, low unemployment and high confidence are good for CHF. Conversely, if economic data points to weakening momentum, CHF is likely to depreciate.
As a small and open economy, Switzerland is heavily dependent on the health of the neighboring Eurozone economies. The broader European Union is Switzerland’s main economic partner and a key political ally, so macroeconomic and monetary policy stability in the Eurozone is essential for Switzerland and, thus, for the Swiss Franc (CHF). With such dependency, some models suggest that the correlation between the fortunes of the Euro (EUR) and the CHF is more than 90%, or close to perfect.
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