USD/CHF drops back towards multi-month low near 0.8560 amid mixed sentiment, sluggish US Dollar

• USD/CHF fades the previous day’s corrective bounce off the lowest level since January 2015.
• US Dollar lacks recovery momentum amid pre-Fed blackout.
• Downbeat mood, US data puts a floor under Swiss Franc pair around multi-month low.
• US Empire State Manufacturing Index, Retail Sales eyed for clear directions.

USD/CHF drops back to 0.8600, reversing Friday’s recovery from a multi-year low, as traders seek more clues to defend the US Dollar’s rebound heading into Monday’s European session. That said, a lack of major incentives push traders to reassess the previous day’s corrective bounce, especially amid the mixed US data, sluggish mood and a two-week blackout for Fed policymakers ahead of the July monetary policy meeting.

US Dollar Index (DXY) struggles to defend the two-day recovery from the lowest level in 15 months, clings to mild gains near 99.95 by the press time. The greenback’s gauge recovered from a multi-month low after the preliminary reading of the University of Michigan's (UoM) Consumer Confidence Index and Consumer Inflation Expectations for July. Also adding strength to the corrective bounce could be the hawkish comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Christopher Waller.

It’s worth noting, however, that the Fed blackout and mixed headlines about China joining bond market inaction in Asia, mainly due to Japan’s holiday, restrict the USD/CHF moves of late. The same also allows the traders to rethink the previously hawkish bias surrounding the US Federal Reserve (Fed), backed by Friday’s data and comments from Fed’s Waller.

Elsewhere, fears that the Swiss National Bank (SNB) will remain hawkish, contrary to the mixed concerns about the Fed’s next moves, also weigh on the USD/CHF price.

Amid these plays, S&P500 Futures print mild losses whereas the US 10-year and two-year Treasury bond yields remain sluggish after falling heavily in the last week.

Looking ahead, the second-tier US activity and Retail Sales data may entertain the USD/CHF pair traders amid a light calendar.

Technical analysis

A daily closing beneath a six-month-old descending support line, around the 0.8600 round figure by the press time, becomes necessary for the USD/CHF pair’s further dominance. However, the nearly oversold RSI (14) line and receding bearish bias of the MACD indicator favor the short-term recovery of the pair.