The Swiss National Bank (SNB) could further relax its ultra-loose monetary policy, it said on Thursday, blaming rising trade tensions between the United States and China for a spike in the safe-haven Swiss franc. The central bank kept on hold its policy of negative interest rates and readiness to sell francs to tackle the situation on what Chairman Thomas Jordan called fragile foreign exchange markets. “When the trade dispute between the U.S. and China escalated again in May, the Swiss franc and the Japanese yen appreciated,” Jordan told a news conference. “Both currencies are sought as safe havens in periods of ... (full story)