- A strong pickup in the USD demand assisted USD/CHF to regain traction on Monday.
- The risk-off mood underpinned the safe-haven CHF and capped gains for the major.
- The formation of a rectangle on hourly charts supports prospects for further losses.
The USD/CHF pair retreated around 15-20 pips from the daily tops and was last seen trading with modest intraday gains, around mid-0.9100s.
Worries about the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus weighed on investors' sentiment. This was evident from the prevalent risk-off mood, which underpinned the safe-haven Swiss franc and capped the upside for the USD/CHF pair.
That said, expectations that the Fed could be moving closer to tighten its monetary policy sooner than anticipated acted as a tailwind for the US dollar. This, in turn, continued lending some support to the USD/CHF pair and helped limit any meaningful slide.
From a technical perspective, the intraday movement remained confined in Friday's broader trading range, forming a rectangle on hourly charts. Given the recent sharp pullback, the rectangle might be categorized as a bearish continuation pattern.
Meanwhile, technical indicators on the daily chart have been losing positive traction and add credence to the negative setup. However, RSI on the 4-hour chart remains close to the oversold territory and warrants some caution for aggressive bearish traders.
Hence, it will be prudent to wait for some strong follow-through selling below the 0.9130 region, or the daily swing lows, before positioning for any further depreciating move. The USD/CHF pair might then accelerate the slide towards the 0.9100 mark.
Any subsequent decline is likely to find decent support near the very important 200-day SMA, currently around the 0.9070 region. Failure to defend the mentioned support levels will be seen as a fresh trigger for bearish traders and prompt fresh technical selling.
On the flip side, the 0.9170-75 region might continue to act as immediate strong resistance. This is followed by the 0.9200 round-figure mark, which if cleared should allow the USD/CHF pair to retest three-month tops, around the 0.9270-75 region touched earlier this month.
USD/CHF 1-hour chart
Technical levels to watch
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD clings to daily gains above 1.0650
EUR/USD gained traction and turned positive on the day above 1.0650. The improvement seen in risk mood following the earlier flight to safety weighs on the US Dollar ahead of the weekend and helps the pair push higher.
GBP/USD recovers toward 1.2450 after UK Retail Sales data
GBP/USD reversed its direction and advanced to the 1.2450 area after touching a fresh multi-month low below 1.2400 in the Asian session. The positive shift seen in risk mood on easing fears over a deepening Iran-Israel conflict supports the pair.
Gold holds steady at around $2,380 following earlier spike
Gold stabilized near $2,380 after spiking above $2,400 with the immediate reaction to reports of Israel striking Iran. Meanwhile, the pullback seen in the US Treasury bond yields helps XAU/USD hold its ground.
Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: BTC post-halving rally could be partially priced in Premium
Bitcoin price shows no signs of directional bias while it holds above $60,000. The fourth BTC halving is partially priced in, according to Deutsche Bank’s research.
Week ahead – US GDP and BoJ decision on top of next week’s agenda
US GDP, core PCE and PMIs the next tests for the Dollar. Investors await BoJ for guidance about next rate hike. EU and UK PMIs, as well as Australian CPIs also on tap.