The US Treasury Department has put Switzerland back on a biannual list of countries that are under observation because of large trade surpluses with the United States.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Switzerland was previously included on the Monitoring ListExternal link between October 2016 and October 2018, “having a material current account surplus and engaged in persistent, one-sided intervention in the foreign exchange market”. It was then removed in May 2019.
The US Treasury announced on Tuesday that Switzerland’s trade surplus with the US in the four quarters through the end of June 2019 totalled $21.8 billion (CHF21.1 billion). Switzerland also had a current account surplus which amounted to 10.7% of GDP in the same period.
“To help narrow its large and persistent trade and current account surpluses, Switzerland should adjust macroeconomic policies – in particular, using its ample fiscal space to more forcefully support domestic economic activity and reduce reliance on monetary policy as it approaches its limits,” the Treasury urged in the report.
The State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF) reacted quickly to the news. “It should be emphasised that Switzerland does not engage in any manipulation of its currency in order to prevent balance of payments adjustments or to gain unjustified competitive advantages,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
SNB interventions
The Treasury said it was also closely monitoring the interventions of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in the foreign exchange market. The SNB has described the franc as “highly valued”.
Although the SNB does not publish figures on its interventions, the Treasury estimates that net purchases of foreign exchange over the four quarters through June 2019 totalled 0.5% of GDP.
“Since mid-2019, Switzerland’s foreign exchange purchases have increased markedly as the Swiss franc has appreciated against both the dollar and the euro,” the report said. “Treasury continues to encourage the Swiss authorities to publish all intervention data on a higher frequency basis.”
The Treasury report also cited continued concerns about currency practices of nine other countries: China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.
More
More
Swiss policymakers caught in crossfire over franc
This content was published on
The adage in financial markets is “do not fight the central bank”. But can central banks fight the US president? The SNB may be about to find out.
Swiss central banker wants to boost equity to head off risks
This content was published on
Equity levels at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) are much too low for the risks its large balance sheet poses, according to Martin Schlegel.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
This content was published on
Swiss companies exported machinery product in the value of CHF1.45 billion ($1.46 billion) to China and Hong Kong in the first six months of 2018.
This content was published on
The value of exports gained 3.8% on 2015 to reach CHF210.7 billion ($210.6 billion), according to the Federal Customs Administration. Imports also grew, but the trade surplus also notched a record of CHF37.5 billion. This compared to a -2.6% decline on Swiss exports in 2015 – the year the franc experienced massive volatility as it…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.