USD/CHF jumps to near 0.8000 as US Dollar outperforms across the board
- USD/CHF advances to near 0.8000 as the US Dollar trades firmly against its peers.
- Washington has reduced tariffs on imports from the EU to 15%.
- The Fed is scheduled to announce the monetary policy on Wednesday.
The USD/CHF pair attracts significant bids and jumps to near the psychological level of 0.8000 on Monday. The Swiss Franc pair trades firmly as the US Dollar (USD) outperforms its peers, following the announcement of a trade framework between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU).
At the time of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades 0.5% higher to near 98.15. This is the highest level seen in a week.
US Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Euro.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.84% | 0.13% | 0.45% | 0.15% | 0.72% | 0.65% | 0.52% | |
| EUR | -0.84% | -0.76% | -0.36% | -0.71% | -0.13% | -0.22% | -0.35% | |
| GBP | -0.13% | 0.76% | 0.20% | 0.05% | 0.63% | 0.55% | 0.41% | |
| JPY | -0.45% | 0.36% | -0.20% | -0.27% | 0.24% | 0.19% | 0.22% | |
| CAD | -0.15% | 0.71% | -0.05% | 0.27% | 0.54% | 0.49% | 0.36% | |
| AUD | -0.72% | 0.13% | -0.63% | -0.24% | -0.54% | -0.09% | -0.21% | |
| NZD | -0.65% | 0.22% | -0.55% | -0.19% | -0.49% | 0.09% | -0.13% | |
| CHF | -0.52% | 0.35% | -0.41% | -0.22% | -0.36% | 0.21% | 0.13% |
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).
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump confirmed that Washington and Brussels have reached a trade agreement. According to the deal, the US will charge 15% tariffs on imports from the US, which is half of what Trump had threatened in the mid of the month.
Meanwhile, investors shift their focus to the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) monetary policy announcement on Wednesday. The Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady in the range of 4.25%-4.50%. Investors will closely monitor Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech for fresh cues on the monetary policy for the remainder of the year.
On Friday, US President Trump expressed confidence that Jerome Powell could lower interest rates soon. "We had a very good meeting, I think we had a very good meeting on interest rates," Trump told reporters on Friday, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, the Swiss Franc (CHF) weakens as the US-EU trade deal has diminished demand for second-tier safe-haven assets. On the domestic front, the Swiss currency will be influenced by ZEW Survey – Expectations, which will be published on Wednesday.
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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