The Swiss National Bank said Monday that it posted a loss of 142.4B francs ($142.3B) in the first three quarters of 2022 as the central bank's foreign holdings suffered from higher interest rates as well as a stronger currency.
That's the SNB's largest loss ever recorded in its 115-year history, though the central bank isn't facing bankruptcy risks since "they are backed by Finance Ministry (taxpayer)," said Thomas Malinen, CEO of GnS Economics. "Secondly, they earn "seigniorage" and can claim to be solvent."
Within that figure, the SNB turned in a loss 141B francs from its foreign-currency positions as of September 30, as the value of its investments in stocks, such as Starbucks ( SBUX ) and Apple ( AAPL ), and bonds got knocked lower from a stronger franc.
Its gold ( XAUUSD:CUR ) holdings fell victim to a 1.1B loss.
Bonds have lost value globally as central banks, including the SNB, lift borrowing costs to push down inflation pressures. At the same time, equities have been hampered amid concerns about a persistently tight money regime along with recession risks.
Related ETFs: Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust ( NYSEARCA: FXF ), iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ( NYSEARCA: EWL ) and Franklin FTSE Switzerland ( NYSEARCA: FLSW ).
Elsewhere, Japan spends record $43B in October to curb yen's plunge against dollar .
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Swiss National Bank turns in almost $143B loss in first nine months of 2022