USD/CHF faces selling pressure below 0.7800 amid US-Iran optimism
- USD/CHF slides to near 0.7775 as the US Dollar comes under pressure.
- According to Al-Hadath, there could be a breakthrough regarding the Hormuz reopening in the coming hours.
- Investors await the US NFP data for fresh cues on the Fed's monetary policy outlook.
The USD/CHF pair is down around 0.15% to near 0.7775 during the European trading session on Thursday. The Swiss Franc pair faces selling pressure as the US Dollar (USD) declines due to growing hopes that the United States (US) and Iran would reach a peace deal soon.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the Australian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.14% | -0.18% | -0.09% | -0.02% | -0.29% | -0.28% | -0.13% | |
| EUR | 0.14% | -0.05% | 0.06% | 0.13% | -0.15% | -0.14% | 0.01% | |
| GBP | 0.18% | 0.05% | 0.09% | 0.16% | -0.11% | -0.10% | 0.06% | |
| JPY | 0.09% | -0.06% | -0.09% | 0.06% | -0.21% | -0.24% | -0.03% | |
| CAD | 0.02% | -0.13% | -0.16% | -0.06% | -0.27% | -0.26% | -0.11% | |
| AUD | 0.29% | 0.15% | 0.11% | 0.21% | 0.27% | 0.00% | 0.17% | |
| NZD | 0.28% | 0.14% | 0.10% | 0.24% | 0.26% | -0.01% | 0.16% | |
| CHF | 0.13% | -0.01% | -0.06% | 0.03% | 0.11% | -0.17% | -0.16% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
During the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades 0.1% lower at around 97.90.
In the European trade, Al-Hadath, sister channel to Al Arabiya, stated on X, that intense communications between the US and Iran are ongoing to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage to almost 20% of global energy supply.
The post also stated that there could be a “breakthrough in US-Iran peace talks in coming hours for ships stranded in the Strait”.
The US-Iran optimism is unfavorable for the US Dollar, as it diminishes the Greenback's safe-haven demand and eases fears of elevated inflation expectations, a scenario that allows traders to pare hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) bets.
Meanwhile, the Swiss Franc (CHF) reflects a mixed performance against its major currency peers, with investors seeking fresh cues regarding the Swiss National Bank's (SNB) monetary policy outlook.
Going forward, investors will focus on the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for April, which will be released on Friday.
US Dollar FAQs
The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.
The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.
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