- USD/CHF attracts sellers for the second straight day and is pressured by a combination of factors.
- Aggressive Fed rate cut bets weigh on the USD while reviving safe-haven demand benefits the CHF.
- Bears, however, seem reluctant to place fresh bets ahead of the crucial two-day FOMC meeting.
The USD/CHF pair struggles to capitalize on Friday’s upbeat US jobs data-inspired bounce from the 0.8200 neighborhood and attracts fresh sellers at the start of a new week. Spot prices, however, remain confined in a familiar range held over the past two weeks or so and currently trade around the 0.8235-0.8230 region, down nearly 0.50% for the day.
The better-than-expected release of the closely-watched US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report forced investors to push back their expectations for a 25 basis points (bps) rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed) to July from June. The US Dollar (USD), however, remains depressed below a multi-week high touched last Thursday amid heightened economic uncertainty on the back of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Apart from this, reviving safe-haven demand benefits the Swiss Franc (CHF) and contributes to the offered tone surrounding the USD/CHF pair.
Despite hopes for the potential de-escalation of tensions between the US and China, Trump’s rapidly shifting stance on trade policies keeps investors on the edge. Apart from this, the protracted Russia-Ukraine war and a fresh escalation of conflicts in the Middle East keep geopolitical risks in play. This, in turn, tempers investors’ appetite for riskier assets, which is evident from a weaker tone around the equity markets and supports the CHF. Bears, however, seem reluctant to place fresh bets around the USD/CHF pair ahead of this week’s key central bank event risk.
The Fed is scheduled to announce its policy decision at the end of a two-day meeting on Wednesday. Investors will look for cues about the central bank’s further rate-cut path, which will play a key role in influencing the USD price dynamics and provide a fresh directional impetus to the USD/CHF pair. In the meantime, Monday’s release of the US ISM Services PMI will be looked upon to grab short-term opportunities later during the early North American session.
