12th September 2016

Financial Times: ‘Czexit’?: Clock ticks on Czech currency floor

Since 2013, the Czech koruna has been, arguably, the world’s most boring currency. It may not hold that title for much longer, Financial Times wrote.

"...Theoretically, the CNB could remove the floor from January 2017. The CNB has made it very clear that it will not follow a Swiss-style exit. The central bank will continue to intervene in the FX market to avoid a sharp drop of the euro against the koruna. The CNB’s FX reserves have increased significantly since the implementation of the floor in November 2013. However, they do not appear excessive when compared to the likes of Switzerland or Israel. Therefore, we believe the CNB has still room to manoeuvre on that front. However, we believe the CNB could also combine FX intervention with a negative policy rate. It is not the CNB’s preferred tool but it could be a useful, temporary instrument in case of excessive CZK appreciation, during a transition from the floor to a “managed float”.

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic