The Swiss franc fell against the euro and dollar on Friday, with market participants citing talk of possible intervention by the Swiss National Bank although traders said none had been seen. The jitters arose as the euro had fallen to around 1.5080 francs, around levels that the SNB has already intervened this year to prevent further strength in the franc.
The euro then jumped as high as 1.5180 francs, according to electronic trading platform EBS, its highest since mid-October, and the dollar jumped to 1.0242 francs from around 1.0175 francs.
Traders in Europe said rumours had been swirling around the market that the SNB and the Bank for International Settlements were acting in the market, but none had seen any actual orders. Neither the SNB nor the BIS, which has in the past been said by traders to have acted on behalf of the SNB, were immediately available for comment.