Since the start of the year the general trend for pound to swiss franc exchange rates has seen the pound strengthen. GBP/CHF mid-market levels started the year in the 1.23s and now are trading in the 1.30s. The pound strengthened as UK Prime Minister Theresa May extended Article50 by 6 months, which means the UK will not leave the EU without a deal.

Yesterday the PM’s deputy David Liddington confirmed that the UK will be taking part in European elections, therefore in my view the cross-party talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are over. If the Prime Minister thought that they would be able to come to an agreement in the upcoming days Mr Liddington would not have made the announcement yesterday.

Since the start of the year GBP/CHF exchange rates have increased from 1.2377 to 1.3212 at the time of writing this report. To put this into monetary value, a client that converts £200,000 into CHF could now achieve an additional 16,700 Swiss Francs.

This morning the Swiss National Bank have left interest rates on hold at 0.75%, and market reaction between GBP/CHF has been limited. The Swiss Franc has rallied slightly against the US dollar and the Euro as forecasters were suggesting the SNB could cut interest rates further, however the events last night in the UK I believe outweighs the interest rate decision in Switzerland.

Over the last 4 weeks the pound has continued its decline against the Swiss Franc which is no surprise. Global events including Brexit, Italian debt problems and Trade wars are prompting investors to sell off their risky currencies and invest in safe havens such as the Swiss Franc.

Brexit continues to put pressure on sterling and we are still waiting to find out if a vote of no confidence is called. The Prime Minister is in Brussels today meeting with Jean Claude Juncker. if the media get wind of any developments this could influence the Pound to Swiss Franc (GBP/CHF) rate, but in general the Pound remains under pressure which is helping the Franc to strengthen.