The Swiss franc firmed against the dollar in early Tuesday trading as the greenback continued to suffer from a Monday media report that Japan had stopped intervening to weaken its own currency against the US unit.
The dollar eased to 1.2819/23 francs from 1.2837/47 francs late on Monday in Europe, while the euro inched up to 1.5612/16 francs from 1.5605/10.
A newspaper report - denied by Japanese officials - said Japan had ceased intervention in foreign exchange markets, where it sold yen for dollars. This triggered a slide in the dollar against the yen.
In its daily markets bulletin, UBS said Swiss purchasing managers' index figures - scheduled for release on Thursday - may falter, which could hurt the franc.