Swiss Franc weakens as safe-haven demand lifts USD
Par Akhtar Faruqui
Mis à jour: 20 May 2026
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USD/CHF extends its gains for the second successive day, trading around 0.7890 during the Asian hours on Wednesday. The pair remains stronger as safe-haven demand supports the US Dollar (USD).
- USD/CHF rises as the US Dollar gains support following Trump's threats to resume attacks on Iran.
- The US 30-Year Treasury Yield slid to 5.181% after hitting a near 19-year high of 5.200% on Wednesday.
- Swiss flash data showed Q1 GDP grew by 0.5%, its strongest quarterly growth in a year, signaling economic recovery.
USD/CHF extends its gains for the second successive day, trading around 0.7890 during the Asian hours on Wednesday. The pair remains stronger as safe-haven demand supports the US Dollar (USD). Traders adopt caution after a Bloomberg report on Tuesday, stating that the US President Donald Trump recently threatened to resume attacks on Iran in two or three days as part of a push for a deal to end the war. This came after a brief pause in planned hostilities following a new proposal by Tehran to end the US-Israeli conflict.
United States (US) inflation risks increase due to war-driven energy price pressures, with earlier spikes in oil seen as reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) may need to maintain higher interest rates for longer or even tighten policy further. Additionally, the sharp increase in yields reflects renewed concerns that inflation could remain elevated for longer than previously expected.
The US 30-Year Treasury Yield inched lower to 5.181% after reaching a nearly 19-year high of 5.200% on Wednesday. The 10-Year Treasury Yield remained stronger near its 16-month high of 4.687%, and the 2-year yield held near its 15-month high of 4.139%, with both of those peaks having been recorded on Tuesday.
Swiss preliminary data showed that the domestic economy expanded by 0.5% quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year, accelerating from the 0.2% growth seen in the previous period. This represents the strongest quarterly performance for the country in a year, signaling a continued recovery for the Swiss economy. Traders will likely observe Industrial Production (YoY) data for the first quarter of 2026 due on Thursday.
Swiss Franc FAQs
The Swiss Franc (CHF) is Switzerland’s official currency. It is among the top ten most traded currencies globally, reaching volumes that well exceed the size of the Swiss economy. Its value is determined by the broad market sentiment, the country’s economic health or action taken by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), among other factors. Between 2011 and 2015, the Swiss Franc was pegged to the Euro (EUR). The peg was abruptly removed, resulting in a more than 20% increase in the Franc’s value, causing a turmoil in markets. Even though the peg isn’t in force anymore, CHF fortunes tend to be highly correlated with the Euro ones due to the high dependency of the Swiss economy on the neighboring Eurozone.
The Swiss Franc (CHF) is considered a safe-haven asset, or a currency that investors tend to buy in times of market stress. This is due to the perceived status of Switzerland in the world: a stable economy, a strong export sector, big central bank reserves or a longstanding political stance towards neutrality in global conflicts make the country’s currency a good choice for investors fleeing from risks. Turbulent times are likely to strengthen CHF value against other currencies that are seen as more risky to invest in.
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) meets four times a year – once every quarter, less than other major central banks – to decide on monetary policy. The bank aims for an annual inflation rate of less than 2%. When inflation is above target or forecasted to be above target in the foreseeable future, the bank will attempt to tame price growth by raising its policy rate. Higher interest rates are generally positive for the Swiss Franc (CHF) as they lead to higher yields, making the country a more attractive place for investors. On the contrary, lower interest rates tend to weaken CHF.
Macroeconomic data releases in Switzerland are key to assessing the state of the economy and can impact the Swiss Franc’s (CHF) valuation. The Swiss economy is broadly stable, but any sudden change in economic growth, inflation, current account or the central bank’s currency reserves have the potential to trigger moves in CHF. Generally, high economic growth, low unemployment and high confidence are good for CHF. Conversely, if economic data points to weakening momentum, CHF is likely to depreciate.
As a small and open economy, Switzerland is heavily dependent on the health of the neighboring Eurozone economies. The broader European Union is Switzerland’s main economic partner and a key political ally, so macroeconomic and monetary policy stability in the Eurozone is essential for Switzerland and, thus, for the Swiss Franc (CHF). With such dependency, some models suggest that the correlation between the fortunes of the Euro (EUR) and the CHF is more than 90%, or close to perfect.
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