(Bloomberg) -- When it comes to Swiss-franc carry trades, it’s a case of once bitten, twice shy.
Switzerland’s negative interest rates mean investors are effectively being paid to borrow francs, which they could then use to purchase higher-yielding assets denominated in other currencies. Carry trades funded in the Swiss franc would have made more this month than deals using either euros or yen, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Yet the specter of Jan. 15 -- when the Swiss National Bank ditched its exchange-rate cap, sending the franc soaring and wiping out returns -- looms large. Investors from Amundi to UBS Wealth Management AG say they’re reluctant to re-enter the trade, a blow to SNB President Thomas Jordan, who said Tuesday in Brussels that the franc remains overvalued.
“To be a good funding currency, it needs to be more stable,” James Kwok, the London-based head of currency management at Amundi, which oversees about $1 trillion, said Tuesday by phone. Still, if volatility abates, “it will be one of the good candidates,” he said.
Investors in carry trades borrow in one currency to invest in another where interest rates are higher. They profit both from the rate differential and any appreciation in the purchased asset.