The Swiss franc eased slightly against the euro and the dollar early on Friday after a surprise signal from the European Central Bank the day before that it was not preparing another rate hike in May.
The franc traded slightly weaker against the common currency at 1.5770/72 francs compared with 1.5762/67 francs late on Thursday. The dollar also gained ground against the franc to trade at 1.2921/24 francs compared with 1.2885/90 late in the previous session.
Eyes now turn to Swiss unemployment data and to possible signals from the Swiss National Bank about its interest rate views, both due later in the session.
Economists surveyed by Reuters expect the jobless rate to have slipped incrementally to a median 3.7 percent from 3.8 percent the month before.
Economists at UBS said recent economic data should keep SNB rate-hike expectations in check, even if the jobless level slips, and that franc weakness in the currency markets is not a cause for concern.
On Thursday, the franc strengthened late in the day after the European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged at 2.5 percent, as expected, but surprised markets unexpectedly dampening speculation of a rate hike in May.
The Swiss franc this week has regained some of the ground lost recently due to investor expectations that interest rates will rise in the euro zone faster than in Switzerland on the back of buoyant economic data.
The currency hit a high of 1.5857 francs earlier in the week, close to a peak of 1.5870 from March, 2004, which if breached would bring the currency to its highest level in roughly six years.
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