The surging dollar may give Swiss companies trading in the US and Asia some breathing room, after a bad start to the year for many firms hit by the strong franc. When the Swiss National Bank announced on 15 January that it would no longer hold the Swiss franc at a fixed exchange rate with the euro, the franc soared and Swiss stocks fell. Business has argued that the euro-franc exchange rate will hurt Swiss firms exporting to Europe. But for some Swiss companies, like watch manufacturer Swatch, Europe is only a niche market, and the dollar exchange rate is more significant. The strong dollar makes US goods and services more expensive compared with the offerings of competitors like Switzerland. In the last eight weeks, the dollar has increased in value by 14.4%. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)