|

USD/CHF plummets to its lowest level since 2015, below mid-0.8000s amid bearish USD

  • USD/CHF comes under intense selling pressure on Monday amid a combination of factors.
  • Trade-related uncertainties weigh on investors’ sentiment and benefit the safe-haven CHF.
  • US recession fears and bets for more aggressive Fed rate cuts weigh on the Greenback.

The USD/CHF pair attracts heavy selling at the start of a new week and plummets to levels just below mid-0.8000s, or the lowest since January 2015 during the first half of the European session. The downfall confirms a fresh breakdown through a one-week-old trading range support and suggests that the path of least resistance for spot prices is to the downside.

The severe nature of US President Donald Trump’s international trade policies continues to weigh on investors' sentiment, which is evident from the underlying bearish tone around the equity markets and underpins the safe-haven Swiss Franc (CHF). This, along with a broadly weaker US Dollar (USD), exerts downward pressure on the USD/CHF pair for the second consecutive day on Monday.

Trump's back-and-forth tariff announcements have dented confidence in the world’s largest economy and raised the possibility of a US recession. Moreover, bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will resume its rate-cutting cycle soon and lower interest rates by 100-basis-point in 2025 drag the USD Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback against a basket of currencies, to its lowest level since April 2022.

The USD bulls, meanwhile, seem unimpressed by Fed Chair Jerome Powell's hawkish remarks last week, saying that the central bank is well-positioned to wait for more clarity before making any changes to the stance of policy. In the absence of any relevant US macro releases, the fundamental backdrop favors the USD bears and supports prospects for a further depreciation for the USD/CHF pair.

Tariffs FAQs

Tariffs are customs duties levied on certain merchandise imports or a category of products. Tariffs are designed to help local producers and manufacturers be more competitive in the market by providing a price advantage over similar goods that can be imported. Tariffs are widely used as tools of protectionism, along with trade barriers and import quotas.

Although tariffs and taxes both generate government revenue to fund public goods and services, they have several distinctions. Tariffs are prepaid at the port of entry, while taxes are paid at the time of purchase. Taxes are imposed on individual taxpayers and businesses, while tariffs are paid by importers.

There are two schools of thought among economists regarding the usage of tariffs. While some argue that tariffs are necessary to protect domestic industries and address trade imbalances, others see them as a harmful tool that could potentially drive prices higher over the long term and lead to a damaging trade war by encouraging tit-for-tat tariffs.

During the run-up to the presidential election in November 2024, Donald Trump made it clear that he intends to use tariffs to support the US economy and American producers. In 2024, Mexico, China and Canada accounted for 42% of total US imports. In this period, Mexico stood out as the top exporter with $466.6 billion, according to the US Census Bureau. Hence, Trump wants to focus on these three nations when imposing tariffs. He also plans to use the revenue generated through tariffs to lower personal income taxes.

Author

Haresh Menghani

Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.

More from Haresh Menghani
Share:

Editor's Picks

USD/JPY retreats from nearly two-year high on hawkish BoJ Minutes

USD/JPY drifts lower during the Asian session on Friday, retreating further from its highest level since July 2024, set the previous day. Minutes from the April BoJ meeting keep further policy normalization firmly on the table amid expectations for a pickup in inflation over the coming months, due to higher energy costs. This offsets Japan's softer National CPI print and lifts the Japanese Yen amid intervention fears, exerting some pressure on the currency pair.

AUD/USD awaits 0.7000 breakdown before the next leg down amid bullish USD

AUD/USD holds above 0.7000 during the Asian session on Friday, though it remains close to the weekly low and seems poised to register modest weekly losses. The US Dollar sits near its highest level since May 2025 as the Fed's hawkish tilt overshadows optimism over the US-Iran peace deal, capping the currency pair. However, the RBA's signal that additional rate hikes were possible if inflation persists lends some support to the Aussie.

Gold refreshes weekly low as Fed's hawkish tilt underpins USD

Gold attracts sellers for the third consecutive day and weakens below $4,200, hitting a fresh weekly low during the Asian session on Friday. Despite the latest optimism over a US-Iran peace deal, the Fed's hawkish tilt helps the US Dollar to preserve its strong weekly gains to the highest level since May 2025. This, in turn, undermines the non-yielding bullion and backs the case for further losses.

Ethereum: Tokenization and network activity skyrocket in Q1 despite DeFi contraction
Following months of crashing prices and macro-driven fragility, Ethereum saw mixed performance across key metrics in the first quarter of 2026, according to Token Terminal. In its quarterly Ethereum report, the onchain analytical platform highlighted contraction across DeFi-focused metrics such as lending, trading volume and fees, while tokenization and throughput expanded.
Regime change: Inside Kevin Warsh's first move to make the Fed unreadable on purpose

The rate did not move. That was the least interesting thing about Kevin Warsh's first meeting in charge of the Fed. The FOMC held its benchmark at 3.50%-3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, exactly as priced, and then the new chair used his first press conference to dismantle the machinery the market has leaned on for a decade.

The next big AI trade may not be about chips or software

Artificial intelligence has already created some of the biggest winners in modern market history. Chipmakers have surged, data centre construction is booming, and electricity demand forecasts are changing globally.