SNB stops CHF’s Growth and Breaks it as an Indicator

In this case, more than 1.2% growth in a day is probably due to the Swiss National Bank, which protects the Franc from strengthening.

The Swiss Franc against the Euro rose by 4.5% since December last year, showing equable growth during the first four months of this year. However, about a month ago, the EURCHF found its bottom in the area just above 1.05. This is slightly below the 2017 low. The last time such levels were observed about five years ago.

There are several reasons behind the appreciation of the Franc to the Euro. The economy of the European region started slowing down right after the first volleys of trade wars. The currency market reacted even earlier, beginning to sell the Euro right after the first Trump threats. In two years, the Euro lost 12.5% to the Franc. The decline accelerated after the ECB started to soften the policy. At the same time, the SNB remained in the same positions, keeping a profoundly negative rate.

Earlier, from September 2011 the SNB introduced a ceiling for EURCHF at 1.20, which was abolished only in January 2015. Back then, this benchmark formed a pattern of behaviour of traders who bought EURCHF, earning on the interest rate difference and having the SNB as an ally on their side.

This story ended tragically for many traders and some brokers when the SNB suddenly gave up this peg. This time it operates without declaring precise support levels, but more and more traders seem to have caught the new pattern.

These SNB interventions also have other consequences. The Swiss Franc is often an indicator of demand for protective assets, showing growth at a time of high uncertainty in the markets. Extension of the Euro against the Franc pushes up the single currency, which in normal conditions corresponds to an increased demand for risks.

Now, this indicator looks broken. The current rebound of EURCHF from 1.0500 to 1.0650 may be due to the favourable market dynamics, as well as purchases of Euro and Dollar for the Franc by the country’s central bank. And it is weakly combined with the period of healthy and free moving markets, causing doubts that the markets have finally turned to growth.

by Alex Kuptsikevich, the FxPro senior market analyst.