Swiss National Bank, Vice Chairman Fritz Zurbruegg, said in a Corriere del Ticino interview that, “we believe the franc is still high.” “If we look at inflation, it is still very low and GDP is not yet at the pre-crisis levels,” he said. “That is why we are convinced that our expansionary monetary policy remains appropriate.”
“We have to bear in mind that in a small and open country like ours, the exchange rate has a major impact on both inflation and economic growth,” he said. “For this reason, it is important to maintain the instrument of foreign exchange interventions alongside the classic interest rate instrument.”
“Without this expansionary policy, we would have a much stronger franc, lower growth and inflation and higher unemployment,” he said. “So the average Swiss citizen is better off thanks to our policy.”