The Swiss franc was boosted on Thursday by unemployment data, as the country's jobless rate fell to a non-seasonally adjusted 2.7 percent in February from 2.8 percent in the previous month. The data were clearly positive and reflected the robust state of the Swiss economy, economists said.
"Another healthy piece of data out Switzerland," said Calyon economist Henrik Gullberg. "This should continue to provide support for private consumption, and to some extent offset the negative impact from higher inflation and equity market weakness."
The franc was flat against the euro compared to the New York close, trading at 1.5822 per euro. The franc was 0.14 percent higher against the dollar at 1.0352 per dollar, still close to a record high of 1.0308, hit on Monday on worries that the US economy might slide into a recession.