SNB’s Schlegel: Our willingness to intervene has increased

Sagar Dua FXStreet

Swiss National Bank (SNB) Chairman Martin Schlegel stressed the central bank’s willingness to intervene against excessive appreciation of the Swiss Franc (CHF) in his press conference post the monetary policy announcement, in which the central bank left interest rates unchanged at 0%, as expected.

Remarks

Inflation pressure unchanged in medium-term.

We have increased our readiness to intervene in forex markets to dampen rapid Swiss Franc appreciation.

Swiss franc is in high demand, hence higher alertness.

Our mandate is clear, it is price stability - to achieve this, we have forex interventions and interest rate, and are ready to use both tools.

The Swiss Franc has long held a safe haven status; whenever there is uncertainty in the world, there is demand for the Franc.

The hurdle is higher to lower interest rates into negative territory.

Uncertainty on the inflation base scenario is raised.

(This story was corrected on March 19 at 12:08 GMT to say that the hurdle is higher to lower interest rates into negative territory, not that the likelihood of negative rates has increased.)

SNB FAQs

What is the Swiss National Bank?

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) is the country’s central bank. As an independent central bank, its mandate is to ensure price stability in the medium and long term. To ensure price stability, the SNB aims to maintain appropriate monetary conditions, which are determined by the interest rate level and exchange rates. For the SNB, price stability means a rise in the Swiss Consumer Price Index (CPI) of less than 2% per year.

How does the Swiss National Bank interest-rate policy affect the Swiss Franc?

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) Governing Board decides the appropriate level of its policy rate according to its price stability objective. When inflation is above target or forecasted to be above target in the foreseeable future, the bank will attempt to tame excessive 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.

Does the Swiss National Bank intervene in the forex market?

Yes. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has regularly intervened in the foreign exchange market in order to avoid the Swiss Franc (CHF) appreciating too much against other currencies. A strong CHF hurts the competitiveness of the country’s powerful export sector. Between 2011 and 2015, the SNB implemented a peg to the Euro to limit the CHF advance against it. The bank intervenes in the market using its hefty foreign exchange reserves, usually by buying foreign currencies such as the US Dollar or the Euro. During episodes of high inflation, particularly due to energy, the SNB refrains from intervening markets as a strong CHF makes energy imports cheaper, cushioning the price shock for Swiss households and businesses.

When does the Swiss National Bank Governing Council decide on monetary policy?

The SNB meets once a quarter – in March, June, September and December – to conduct its monetary policy assessment. Each of these assessments results in a monetary policy decision and the publication of a medium-term inflation forecast.

Author

Sagar Dua

FXStreet

Sagar Dua is associated with the financial markets from his college days. Along with pursuing post-graduation in Commerce in 2014, he started his markets training with chart analysis.

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