SNB Chairman Schlegel: Sees Increased Likelihood For Negative Rates

The Swiss National Bank is leaving the SNB policy rate unchanged at 0%. Banks' sight deposits held at the SNB will be remunerated at the SNB policy rate up to a certain threshold. The discount for sight deposits above this threshold still stands at 0.25 percentage points. Given the conflict in the Middle East, the SNB's willingness to intervene in the foreign exchange market has increased. The SNB thereby counters a rapid and excessive appreciation of the Swiss franc, which would jeopardise price stability in Switzerland. The conditional inflation forecast for the coming quarters is higher than in December due to the rise in energy prices. Medium-term inflationary pressure, however, has remained virtually unchanged since the last monetary policy assessment. The monetary policy helps to keep inflation within the range consistent with price stability and supports economic development. The SNB will continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust its monetary policy if necessary, in order to ensure price stability over the medium term. As expected, inflation has risen slightly since the last monetary policy assessment, from 0.0% in November to 0.1% in February. This increase was driven in particular by higher goods inflation. With the rise in energy p SNB: HAS ELEVATED READINESS TO INTERVENE IN CURRENCY MARKETS IF NEEDED