Swiss Franc consolidates recent losses with the focus turning to Fed’s Warsh

The Swiss Franc (CHF) trades marginally lower against a somewhat firmer US Dollar (USD) on Friday, with market volatility subdued as investors await the speech of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman, Kevin Warsh, at the Jackson Hole Symposium, due later on the day. The USD/CHF pair trades practically flat just below 0.8750, on track for a 0.45% appreciation this week.

Markets are eager for further insight into the Fed’s plans to tame hot inflationary pressures, after the disappointment of the last monetary policy meeting, which left investors pondering whether the hawkish comments of Warsh’s inaugural speeches will be supported with facts.

Fed officials call for higher interest rates

Recent US inflationary data added pressure to hike interest rates, and some Federal Reserve officials supported that view on Thursday, putting some pressure on Warsh. Kansas Fed President Jeffrey Schmidt said on CNBC that inflation is “still sticky and we've got to continue to find ways to break through" while the Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack reiterated that it is “time to act,” referring to interest rate hikes, which provided a moderate boost to the USD.

Rabobank’s Bas van Geffen remains sceptical over how much guidance FOMC Chair Warsh will offer at Jackson Hole. Van Geffen wonders whether he will stick to his script or instead “feel compelled to be a bit more outspoken, after Treasury Secretary Bessent’s interventions in the rates market pushing back against the long end of the Treasury curve.” For Rabobank, “the lack of a monetary policy panel in this year’s schedule suggests that Warsh will stick with the first option,” reinforcing expectations that clear policy signals may remain in short supply.

The Swiss Franc, on the other hand, failed to draw support from the upbeat Swiss employment figures released on Thursday, which suggest that the Swiss labour market is withstanding the energy shock and the uncertainty from the Middle East conflict quite well.