Switzerland is fighting a losing battle to stop massive inflows of funds from investors fleeing sovereign risk in the euro area and the rest of the world, raising the risk of a violent spike in Swiss franc if global debt jitters return.
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) said it lost over 14bn francs (£8.8bn) in the first half of the year in a forlorn attempt to hold down the currency against the euro.
“If we have a US slowdown with a fresh financial crisis, everybody is going to want to buy the Swiss franc, along with bottled water, tins hats, and a shotgun,” said David Bloom, currency chief at HSBC. “Now that Japan’s debt is around 200pc of GDP the franc has displaced the yen as the ultimate safe haven.” Click Here for the rest of this story.
Switzerland Under Siege: Free Markets May Yet Save the Swiss Franc
Axel Merk, Portfolio Manager, Merk Mutual Funds
July 20, 2010
Efforts are underway to undermine Switzerland’s rock solid reputation as a safe haven. The alpine nation, famous for its readiness against enemies with citizens storing military assault rifles at their homes, is under attack. The attack, however, comes from one of their own, the guardian of the Swiss franc: the Swiss National Bank (SNB). In any other country, a central bank may have the power to derail the currency; in Switzerland, however, efforts to undermine the franc may be more appropriately characterized by a Don Quixotian battle by a lone warrior, a warrior armed with a license to print money.
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