'coin toss' interest rate decision

Market analysts are unsure which way the Swiss National Bank may jump today.

Every three months the bank sets interest rates – and economists agree on only one thing – there are good arguments for a cut, and good arguments to do nothing. 

A UBS analyst called it a ‘coin toss.’

After a cut in December, the key rate is at 0.5%.

Arguments for a cut include the increasing uncertainty surrounding trade tariffs. This country is highly exposed to high tariff risks. But a rate cut could lower the franc and help exporters.

But there’s disagreement over how much impact rates would have on the exchange rates.

Inflation is down to 0.2%  - the lower end of the target – which calls for a cut. 

More from Bitesize News

  • Lausanne bike shelters get an upgrade

    Lausanne's grey metal Vélobox bike shelters, mocked as "Soviet bunkers" since their rollout in January, are getting an artistic makeover

  • Cook from Vaud goes global

    A 31-year-old Vaudois cook is finding a global audience for a very local idea — low-calorie versions of classic comfort food

  • Lake Zurich at record low

    Lake Zurich is at its lowest level ever recorded, 22 centimetres below the previous 1952 low

  • Ticks more prevalent in Switzerland

    Ticks are moving to higher altitudes in Switzerland, with researchers now recording them at up to 2,300 metres

  • Winter flu wave expected

    The Federal Office of Public Health expects Switzerland's flu wave to hit from mid-December, but some vaccine deliveries are already running late

  • Cross border gun burglaries

    French criminal networks are recruiting teenagers on Snapchat and TikTok to break into Swiss gun shops and feed the black market across the border

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play