|

USD/CHF refreshes weekly high near 0.8100 as US Dollar trades firmly

  • USD/CHF jumps to near 0.8100 as the US Dollar advances ahead of Fed Powell’s speech.
  • Investors expect Fed Powell to reiterate a “wait and see” approach on the interest rate outlook.
  • Fed Schmid signals no rush for interest rate cuts.

The USD/CHF pair posts a fresh weekly high near 0.8100 during the late Asian session on Friday. The Swiss Franc pair advances as the US Dollar (USD) trades firmly ahead of Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole (JH) Symposium at 14:00 GMT.

During the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, posts a fresh 10-day high near 98.85.

The US Dollar has attracted significant bids as financial market participants expect Fed Chair Powell to maintain his argument that interest rates should remain at their current levels until the central bank gets clarity on the impact of tariffs on inflation and the economy.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes of the July policy meeting also showed on Wednesday that a majority of members, including Jerome Powell, has stated that the central bank needs time to gain clarity on the “magnitude and persistence of higher tariffs’ effects on inflation”.

On Thursday, Kansas City Fed Bank President Jeffrey Schmid stated that there is no rush for interest rate cuts as inflation is still above the central bank’s target of 2%.

On the Swiss Franc (CHF) front, investors look for fresh cues about whether the Swiss National Bank (SNB) will push interest rates into a negative territory to uplift inflationary pressures. Inflation in the Swiss region grew at an annual pace of 0.2% in July.

Economic Indicator

Fed's Chair Powell speech

Jerome H. Powell took office as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on May 25, 2012, to fill an unexpired term. On November 2, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Powell to serve as the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Powell assumed office as Chair on February 5, 2018.

Read more.

Next release: Fri Aug 22, 2025 14:00

Frequency: Irregular

Consensus: -

Previous: -

Source: Federal Reserve

Author

Sagar Dua

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.

More from Sagar Dua
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD edges above 1.1750 due to ECB-Fed policy divergence

EUR/USD has recovered its recent losses registered in the previous session, trading around 1.1760 during the Asian hours on Friday. Traders will likely observe Germany’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index data later in the day.

GBP/USD gathers strength above 1.3450 on Fed rate cut bets, BoE's gradual policy path

The GBP/USD pair gathers strength to around 1.3480 during the early Asian session on Friday. Expectations of the US Federal Reserve rate cuts this year weigh on the US Dollar against the Pound Sterling. Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson is set to speak later on the weekend. 

Gold climbs to near $4,350 on Fed rate cut bets, geopolitical risks

Gold price rises to near $4,345 during the early Asian session on Friday. Gold finished 2025 with a significant rally, achieving an annual gain of around 65%, its biggest annual gain since 1979. The rally of the precious metal is bolstered by the prospect of further US interest rate cuts in 2026 and safe-haven flows.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple enter the New Year with breakout hopes

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple entered the new year trading at key technical levels on Friday, as traders seek fresh directional cues in January. With BTC locked in a tight range, ETH is approaching its 50-day Exponential Moving Average, while XRP is nearing resistance. A clear breakout across these top three cryptocurrencies could help define market momentum in the opening weeks of the year.

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).