During the Great Recession, the Fed’s target interest rate never fell below 0.25%. The various QE programs pushed the monetary base up to a peak of just over 20% of GDP.

In contrast, the Swiss have reduced their target interest rate to negative 0.75%, and their monetary base has been increased to roughly 100% of GDP. So you might wonder if the Swiss are out of ammo. Far from it:

The Swiss National Bank can lower its subzero interest rates even further, President Thomas Jordan told newspaper Blick.

In the interview, Jordan affirmed the ongoing need for a deposit rate of minus 0.75 percent plus a pledge to intervene in currency markets, if necessary, adding the franc remains highly valued. . . .

“We always have the possibility of lowering rates further. We have already gone quite far, but still we’ve got the necessary room to maneuver,” he was quoted as saying in comments published in Saturday’s Blick. “And we can, if necessary, expand the balance sheet further via interventions.”

While the Swiss economy is currently doing pretty well, it’s nice to know that they have the necessary ammo for more stimulus, if needed. Indeed their willingness to employ this ammo is one of the reasons why the Swiss economy is doing OK.