Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “outlook” and “estimate” and other similar words. Forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Various factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. These factors include fluctuations in the price of the Swiss Franc, as the value of the Shares relates directly to the value of the Swiss Francs held by the Trust and price fluctuations could materially adversely affect an investment in the Shares. Readers are urged to review the “Risk Factors” section contained in the Trust’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K for a description of other risks and uncertainties that may affect an investment in the Shares.
Neither Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (the “Sponsor”) nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of forward-looking statements contained in this report. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this report, and will not be revised or updated to reflect actual results or changes in the Sponsor’s expectations or predictions.
Overview/Introduction
The Invesco CurrencyShares® Swiss Franc Trust (the “Trust”) is a grantor trust that was formed on June 8, 2006. The Shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “FXF” on June 26, 2006. The primary listing of the Shares was transferred to NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) on October 30, 2007. The Trust issues shares (the “Shares”) in blocks of 50,000 (a “Basket”) in exchange for deposits of Swiss Francs and distributes Swiss Francs in connection with the redemption of Baskets.
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price in USD of the Swiss Franc plus accrued interest, if any, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations. The Shares are intended to offer investors an opportunity to participate in the market for the Swiss Franc through an investment in securities. The Shares are intended to provide institutional and retail investors with a simple, cost-effective means of gaining investment benefits similar to those of holding the Swiss Franc. The Shares are bought and sold on NYSE Arca like any other exchange-listed security. The Shares are backed by the assets of the Trust, which does not hold or use derivative products. The Trust is a passive investment vehicle and does not have any officers, directors or employees. The Trust does not engage in any activities designed to obtain profit from, or ameliorate losses caused by, changes in the price of the Swiss Franc. Investing in the Shares does not insulate the investor from certain risks, including price volatility. The value of the holdings of the Trust is reported on the Trust’s website, www.invesco.com/etfs, each business day.
Definition of Net Asset Value
The Trustee calculates, and the Sponsor publishes, the Trust’s Net Asset Value (“NAV”) each business day. To calculate the NAV, the Trustee adds to the amount of Swiss Francs in the Trust at the end of the preceding day accrued but unpaid interest, if any, Swiss Francs receivable under pending purchase orders and the value of other Trust assets, and subtracts the accrued but unpaid Sponsor’s fee, Swiss Francs payable under pending redemption orders and other Trust expenses and liabilities, if any. The NAV is expressed in USD based on the Swiss Franc/USD exchange rate as determined by The WM Company at 4:00 PM (London time / London fixing) (the “Closing Spot Rate”) on each day that NYSE Arca is open for regular trading. If, on a particular evaluation day, the Closing Spot Rate has not been determined and announced by 6:00 PM (London time), then the most recent Closing Spot Rate is used to determine the NAV of the Trust unless the Trustee, in consultation with the Sponsor, determines that such price is inappropriate to use as the basis for the valuation.
The Trustee also determines the NAV per Share, which equals the NAV of the Trust divided by the number of outstanding Shares. The NAV of the Trust and the NAV per Share are published by the Sponsor on each day that NYSE Arca is open for regular trading and are posted on the Trust’s website, www.invesco.com/etfs.
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Movements in the Price of the Swiss Franc
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price in USD of the Swiss Franc plus accrued interest, if any, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations. The Shares are intended to provide institutional and retail investors with a simple, cost-effective means of gaining investment benefits similar to those of holding Swiss Francs. Each outstanding Share represents a proportional interest in the Swiss Francs held by the Trust. The following chart provides recent trends on the price of the Swiss Franc. The chart illustrates movements in the price of the Swiss Franc in USD and is based on the Closing Spot Rate:
NAV per Share; Valuation of the Swiss Franc
The following chart illustrates the movement in the price of the Shares based on (1) NAV per Share, (2) the “bid” and “ask” midpoint offered on NYSE Arca and (3) the Closing Spot Rate, expressed as a multiple of 100 Swiss Francs:
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Trust does not have any material cash requirements as of the end of the latest fiscal period. The Sponsor is not aware of any known trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that will result in, or are reasonably likely to result in, material changes to the Trust’s liquidity and capital resources needs. The Trust’s Depository, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., London Branch, maintains two deposit accounts for the Trust, a primary deposit account that may earn interest and a secondary deposit account that does not earn interest. Interest on the primary deposit account, if any, accrues daily and is paid monthly. The interest rate in effect as of June 30, 2024 was an annual nominal rate of 0.25%. The following chart provides the daily rate paid by the Depository since June 30, 2019:
In exchange for a fee, the Sponsor bears most of the expenses incurred by the Trust. As a result, the only ordinary expense of the Trust during the period covered by this report was the Sponsor’s fee. Each month the Depository deposits into the secondary deposit account accrued but unpaid interest, if any, and the Trustee withdraws Swiss Francs from the secondary deposit account to pay the accrued Sponsor’s fee for the previous month plus other Trust expenses (including, without limitation, expenses resulting from negative interest rates), if any. When the interest deposited, if any, exceeds the sum of the Sponsor’s fee for the prior month plus other Trust expenses, if any, the Trustee converts the excess into USD at the prevailing market rate and distributes the USD as promptly as practicable to Shareholders on a pro-rata basis (in accordance with the number of Shares that they own). Distributions paid during the current reporting period follow (annualized yield reflects the estimated annual yield an investor would receive if a monthly distribution stayed the same for the entire year going forward, and is calculated by annualizing the monthly distribution and dividing by the Trust NAV for the dates listed below):
FXF Distribution History
Date
Value
NAV
Yield
Annualized Yield
4/1/2024
$
0.00416
$
98.79
0.00%
0.05%
Critical Accounting Estimates
The financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements relies on estimates and assumptions that impact the Trust’s financial position and results of operations. These estimates and assumptions affect the Trust’s application of accounting policies. In addition, please refer to Note 3 to the financial statements of the Trust for further discussion of the Trust’s accounting policies and Item 7 – Management’s Discussions and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Estimates on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
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Results of Operations
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, the Trust’s net comprehensive income (loss) was, in part, impacted by market volatility resulting from expectations around the Federal Reserve (Fed) easing and heightened geopolitical concerns for 2024, and the US banking sector turmoil for 2023, which are considered to be unusual or infrequent events. Although the full and direct impact of Fed easing expectations, rising geopolitical tensions, and the US banking sector turmoil, on the Trust’s net comprehensive income (loss) during the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 cannot be known, it is believed that they have each independently impacted the Closing Spot Rate, the interest rate paid by the Depository, and the global economy and markets generally, including the number of Shares created and redeemed by the Trust.
The Swiss Franc (CHF/USD) posted a gain in the second quarter of 2024. While the pair was initially pressured by US dollar gains on delayed Fed rate cut expectations, CHF saw strong gains mid-quarter. The pair even managed to move higher despite positive moves in the US dollar as Swiss inflation came in above estimates causing speculation that the Swiss National Bank (SNB) would need to put a pause on their easing plans.
The second quarter of 2023 marked a quarter of back and forth for the Swiss Franc (CHF/USD), with prices gaining in April, retreating in May on hawkish-Fed driven dollar strength, and then gaining again in June with the Fed officially pausing its rate hike cycle. While most of May and June’s price action were dictated by dollar moves, the Swiss Franc received an additional boost from rising safe-haven currency demand in April. The three primary safe-haven currencies are the US dollar, the Japanese yen and the Swiss Franc; however, the US was still in the midst of its banking sector turmoil – not to mention expectations for a dovish Fed pivot– reducing the appeal of the USD, and the Bank of Japan remained committed to its ultra-loose monetary policies, making both unattractive options.
The Swiss Franc (CHF/USD) posted a loss in the first half of 2024, with the pair down nearly 7%. While some of this was driven by gains in the US dollar – the Fed’s higher-for-longer rhetoric and stickier-than-expected US inflation pushed out expectations for rate cuts, supporting US treasury yields – the pair was heavily pressured after the Swiss National Bank (SNB) became the first major central bank to start cutting its interest rates in March. Lower interest rates reduce the appeal of the country’s currency.
The Swiss Franc (CHF/USD) posted a gain in the first half of 2023, with price action largely driven by dollar moves. The USD fell sharply in January, helping the pair rally, as speculation for a dovish pivot in Fed rate hike plans grew with US economic data coming in weaker than expected. However, with the dollar making a turnaround in February, due to signs of a strong labor market and resilient inflation in the US, the currency pair depreciated. In March, though, the pair returned to positive territory as the US dollar once again weakened amid the turmoil in the US banking sector, renewing speculation that the Fed would slow down rate hikes amid the economic uncertainty. While Switzerland’s banking sector also took a hit following the collapse of Credit Suisse, the impact was limited given swift government intervention. While the second quarter of 2023 followed largely the same theme, with the CHF bouncing back and forth on Fed-driven dollar moves, the pair also received support from rising safe-haven currency demand.
Additionally, the interest rate paid by the Depository has generally trended upward over the past year, slightly offset by decline in the recent quarters, to the current interest rate of 0.25%, as set forth in the FXF Rate Chart above. As long as the Sponsor’s fee and the interest expense on currency deposits, if any, exceed interest income, the Trust will incur a net comprehensive loss.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitat ive Disclosures About Market Risk.
Except as described above with respect to fluctuations in the Swiss Franc/USD exchange rate and changes in the nominal annual interest rate paid by the Depository on Swiss Francs held by the Trust, the Trust is not subject to market risk. The Trust does not hold securities and does not invest in derivative instruments.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.