The USD/CHF exchange rate bounces around 0.9700 as hawkish Fed bets rise, with the US PMI in focus

In the early Tokyo session, the USD/CHF exchange rate fluctuates between 0.9687 and 0.9712. Following a retest of its earlier lows at 0.9629 under waning selling pressure, the asset has appreciated significantly. After the Swiss National Bank (SNB) issued a 50 basis point (bps) interest rate rise on Thursday, the dollar faced heavy selling pressure against the Swiss franc last week.

The current SNB official interest rate is - 0.25 percent. Over the past fifteen years, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) has maintained a constant posture on interest rates to make the Swiss franc less attractive, so luring more business to the Swiss economy. In reaction to inflation shocks, the SNB has announced a huge hike in interest rates, following in the footsteps of other Western countries. After SNB president Chris Jordan's unexpected announcement of a rate rise, the Swiss franc is no longer overvalued, and higher interest rates will assist Swiss currency bulls going ahead.

In the meantime, the US dollar index (DXY) is trading flat in the Asian session at about 104.66 despite rising possibilities of a Federal Reserve announcement of a 75 basis point (bps) consecutive rate hike (Fed). It will take a little longer for pricing pressures to result in stable prices. Investors will continue to focus on US PMI data moving forward.

It is projected that the Composite PMI would increase to 53.5 from 53.4. The Composite PMI's separation into Manufacturing and Services entails a performance drop. The Services PMI is expected to be significantly lower at 49.1 than the prior figure of 53.2. The Manufacturing PMI is expected to decline to 54.7 from 55.7, but the Services PMI is expected to remain steady.