On Friday, USD/CHF shows versatile fluctuations near the level of 0.8980. After testing local highs in early July, the asset declined amid the publication of fresh macroeconomic data from the United States.
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's index of business activity in the manufacturing sector unexpectedly fell from -5.5 to -16.4 points in December, although analysts had forecast an increase to 3.0 points. The personal consumption expenditure price index increased by 1.5% in the third quarter, and its base version rose from 2.1% to 2.2%. Initial applications for unemployment benefits decreased from 242 thousand to 220 thousand, which turned out to be better than the forecast of 230 thousand, and the number of repeat applications decreased from 1.879 million to 1.874 million, also exceeding expectations. In addition, sales in the secondary housing market increased by 4.8% in November, reaching 4.15 million against the forecast of 4.07 million.
Swiss statistics reflected a decline in trading activity. Exports decreased from 27.826 billion to 23.682 billion francs, while imports fell from 19.801 billion to 18.257 billion francs, reducing the trade surplus from 8.025 billion to 5.424 billion francs. According to SECO, the Swiss economy is expected to grow by 1.2% in 2023, 1.6% in 2025, and 1.7% in 2026, which is lower than the average annual growth of 1.8%. Experts see the main driver of the recovery in domestic demand, as demand for Swiss goods in Germany and China continues to decline.
Investors also continue to analyze the results of the US Federal Reserve meeting on December 18. As expected, the rate was reduced by 25 basis points to 4.50%. The regulator's new forecasts suggest a rate cut of 50 basis points in 2025, which differs from the September expectations of three consecutive cuts of 25 basis points.
USD/CHF technical analysis for today
John Murphy's technical analysis on the daily chart shows the expansion of the Bollinger bands, which opens up opportunities for a bullish trend. The MACD indicator indicates a steady buy signal. Stochastic also demonstrates an attempt to reverse downwards, signaling a possible overbought dollar in the short term.
Trading recommendations
- sale with a confident breakdown of the 0.8957 level down. The target will be the 0.8900 mark. We will put the stop loss at 0.8990.
- buy will be possible if the 0.8957 level acts as support, and then the pair breaks the 0.9000 mark up. In this case, the prospect of growth to 0.9100 opens up. We will place the stop loss at 0.8957.