The Swiss franc slipped against the euro and was slightly firmer against the dollar on Monday in lacklustre trading ahead of March purchasing managers' index data for the manufacturing sector. The Swiss PMI reading is expected to come in at 33.8 according to Reuters data, just above the all-time low of 32.60 hit in February.
The franc was 0.2 percent lower against the euro compared to the New York close, trading at 1.5102 per euro. The franc was slightly stronger against the dollar at 1.134 per dollar compared to 1.135 on Friday. In a research note, Commerzbank analyst Karen Jones said the euro/franc is in a short-term downtrend, approaching a key support level of 1.5150 while the dollar/franc is also nearing a key short-term support at 1.1280/75.
But there were few factors significant enough to give trading a clear direction. "It's very quiet because of the bank holiday in the UK, volumes are low, nothing much is moving the market today," said Bernd Roth, head of foreign exchange trading at ZuercherKantonalBank.