SNB: Switzerland does not engage in any form of currency manipulation

Eren Sengezer FXStreet

In a response to the US Treasury report that named Switzerland a currency manipulator, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) said that Switzerland does not engage in any form of currency manipulation, as reported by Reuters.

Key takeaways

"The SNB’s interventions in the foreign exchange market do not serve the purpose of preventing the balance of payments adjustments or gaining unfair competitive advantages for the swiss economy."

"Foreign exchange market interventions are necessary for Switzerland's monetary policy to ensure appropriate monetary conditions and therefore price stability."

"The SNB's monetary policy approach remains unchanged by the US Treasury report."

"In light of the economic situation and the fact that the Swiss franc is still highly valued, the SNB remains willing to intervene more strongly in the foreign exchange market."

"Together with the Swiss authorities, the SNB is in contact with the US authorities to explain Switzerland's economic situation and monetary policy."

Market reaction

The USD/CHF pair's reaction to this development was largely muted. As of writing, the pair was trading at 0.8845, down 0.12% on a daily basis.

Author

Eren Sengezer

FXStreet

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

EUR/USD holds losses below 1.1850 ahead of FOMC Minutes

EUR/USD stays on the back foot below 1.1850 in the European session on Wednesday, pressured by renewed US Dollar demand and reports that ECB President Lagarde will step down before the end of her term. Traders now look forward to the Minutes of the Fed's January monetary policy meeting for fresh signals on future rate cuts.

GBP/USD defends 1.3550 after UK inflation data

GBP/USD is holding above 1.3550 in Wednesday's European morning, little changed following the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) data release. The UK inflation eased as expected in January, reaffirming bets for a March BoE interest rate cut, especially after Tuesday's weak employment report.

Gold retains bullish bias amid Fed rate cut bets, ahead of Fed Minutes

Gold sticks to modest intraday gains through the early European session, reversing a major part of the previous day's heavy losses of more than 2%, to the $4,843-4,842 region or a nearly two-week low. That said, the fundamental backdrop warrants caution for bulls ahead of the FOMC Minutes, which will look for more cues about the US Federal Reserve's rate-cut path.

Pi Network rally defies market pressure ahead of its first anniversary

Pi Network is trading above $0.1900 at press time on Wednesday, extending the weekly gains by nearly 8% so far. The steady recovery is supported by a short-term pause in mainnet migration, which reduces pressure on the PI token supply for Centralized Exchanges. The technical outlook focuses on the $0.1919 resistance as bullish momentum increases.

Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England

Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple face downside risk as bears regain control

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple remain under pressure on Wednesday, with the broader trend still sideways. BTC is edging below $68,000, nearing the lower consolidating boundary, while ETH and XRP also declined slightly, approaching their key supports.