Investing.com — The broadly stronger dollar hit six-month highs against the Swiss franc on Friday after official data showed that the U.S. economy added significantly more jobs than forecast in February.

USD/CHF hit a session high of 0.9552, the highest level since September 7 before settling at 0.9518, 0.97% higher for the day and up 1.20% for the day.

The pair is likely to find support at 0.9416, Friday’s low and resistance at 0.9552, Friday’s high.

The Department of Labor said the U.S. economy added 236,000 jobs last month, blowing past expectations for an increase of 160,000. The unemployment rate ticked down to 7.7%, the lowest level since December 2008, from 7.9% in January.

The robust data added to speculation over an earlier-than-expected end to the Federal Reserve’s easing program, bolstering demand for the dollar.

Data on Thursday showed that the Swiss National Bank’s currency reserves declined to CHF427.5 billion in February from CHF429.5 billion the previous month. The report said the bank spent CHF188 billion in 2012 to enforce the 1.20 per euro minimum exchange rate floor on the franc.

The euro has strengthened against the Swiss franc in recent weeks, as inconclusive elections in Italy sparked concerns that the country will be unable to continue to implement structural reforms and austerity measures.

EUR/CHF hit 1.2389 on Friday, the pair’s highest since February 4 before settling at 1.2364, 0.83% higher for the week.

In the week ahead, investors will be closely watching U.S. data on retail sales, industrial production and inflation to determine the strength of the economic recovery. Markets will also be eyeing a policy meeting by the SNB.

Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of these and other significant events likely to affect the markets.

Monday, March 11

Switzerland is to release official data on retail sales, the government measure of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity.

Tuesday, March 12

The U.S. is to publish data on the federal budget balance.

Wednesday, March 13

The U.S. is to release government data on retail sales, the government measure of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity, as well as official data on import prices, business inventories and crude oil stockpiles.

Thursday, March 14

The SNB is to announce its Libor rate. The rate announcement is to be accompanied by the bank’s monetary policy assessment, which contains important insights into current and future economic conditions from the bank’s perspective.

The U.S. is to release government data on producer price inflation, the leading indicator of consumer inflation and the weekly government report on initial jobless claims.

Friday, March 15

Switzerland is to release official data on producer price inflation.

The U.S. is to round up the week with official data on consumer inflation and preliminary data from the University of Michigan on consumer sentiment. The U.S. is also to release data on industrial production, the capacity utilization rate and manufacturing activity in New York state.

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