Swiss Franc weakens against USD as hopes of US-Iran truce in near term fades
- The USD/CHF pair rises to near 0.7785 as the US dismisses Iran’s response to its peace proposal.
- Iran wants the recognition of its authority near the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for war damages.
- Investors await US President Trump’s visit to China from May 13 to May 15.
The USD/CHF pair holds opening gains around 0.7785 during the Asian trading session on Monday. The Swiss Franc pair reflects strength as the US Dollar (USD) outperforms its peers amid the return of the risk-off impulse due to diminished hopes of an immediate breakthrough in negotiations between the United States (US) and Iran.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the New Zealand Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.24% | 0.31% | 0.31% | 0.08% | 0.21% | 0.34% | 0.30% | |
| EUR | -0.24% | 0.08% | 0.04% | -0.19% | -0.02% | 0.11% | 0.06% | |
| GBP | -0.31% | -0.08% | 0.00% | -0.26% | -0.09% | 0.02% | -0.02% | |
| JPY | -0.31% | -0.04% | 0.00% | -0.24% | -0.06% | 0.05% | -0.01% | |
| CAD | -0.08% | 0.19% | 0.26% | 0.24% | 0.17% | 0.24% | 0.23% | |
| AUD | -0.21% | 0.02% | 0.09% | 0.06% | -0.17% | 0.11% | 0.07% | |
| NZD | -0.34% | -0.11% | -0.02% | -0.05% | -0.24% | -0.11% | -0.03% | |
| CHF | -0.30% | -0.06% | 0.02% | 0.00% | -0.23% | -0.07% | 0.03% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
During the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades 0.25% higher to near 98.10. S&P 500 futures are down 0.15% to 7,390, indicating a cautious market mood.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that Iran’s response to the US peace proposal is “totally unacceptable”. According to Iranian state media, Iran's proposal stresses US compensation for war damages, the recognition of Tehran’s authority on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage to almost 20% of global energy supply, CNN reported. Iran’s proposal also demands the release of frozen Iranian assets as well as the lifting of sanctions.
Dashed hopes of a permanent truce between the US and Iran in the near term have lifted global oil prices, prompting fears, combined with strong Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for April, that the Federal Reserve (Fed) could raise interest rates this year.
Meanwhile, investors shift their focus to the US President Trump’s visit to China on May 13-15, in which market experts believe Trump to urge Beijing to leverage its influence over Iran for a comprehensive ceasefire and a resolution to the energy disruption amid the Hormuz closure, according to analysts at IG markets.
US Dollar FAQs
The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.
The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.
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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