Swiss franc climbing, eyes Swiss inflation

Swiss franc has extended its gains on Monday. USD/CHF is trading at 0.8961 in the North American session, down 0.68%.

Swiss franc rally continues

The Swiss franc posted its strong weekly gain of the year last week, rising 1.35%. The Swissie jumped over 1% on Thursday after Swiss National Bank President Jordan hinted that the central bank could intervene in the currency markets in order to keep a lid on inflation.

Thomas’ comments gave a boost to the Swiss currency, which has sagged in 2024. Even with last week’s strong gains, however, the Swiss franc has plunged 7.1% against the US dollar. The Swiss franc weakened after the Swiss National Bank unexpectedly lowered interest rates in March. A weaker Swiss franc helped make Swiss exports more competitive on world markets, but the currency’s sharp descent may have become too much of a good thing, as it is feeding inflation and raising concerns at the central bank.

The Swiss franc’s downswing has had a strong impact on market expectations for a rate cut at the June 28th meeting. In early May, swap markets priced a 66% probability of a rate cut, which has fallen to around 40%. The SNB isn’t likely to make good on Jordan’s threat to buy Swiss francs unless the currency continues to show a sharp depreciation, but last week’s jump shows how comments from central bankers can cause sharp swings in the currency markets.

Switzerland releases May CPI on Tuesday. This is the final economic release prior to the central bank’s rate meeting and could be a major factor in the SNB’s rate decision. Swiss CPI is expected to tick up to 0.4% m/m in May, compared to 0.3% in April.

USD/CHF Technical

• USD/CHF is testing support 0.8966. Below, there is support at 0.8909
• 0.9061 and 0.9118 are the next resistance lines

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