瑞士采取行动保护遭受欧洲金融危机损害的出口商。瑞士为瑞士法郎对欧元的汇率设定了上限。
由于全球股市几乎每天都在经历巨大的震荡，一些投资者倾向于购买黄金和瑞士法郎作为避险工具，以抵御市场的动荡。这样一来，瑞士法郎价格上涨，瑞士出口在世界市场上就变得更为昂贵。
但是瑞士中央银行星期天说，将不再允许欧元以低于1比1.2瑞士法郎的汇率进行兑换，目的是促使瑞士法郎“大幅度和持续贬值”。
继星期一股市出现大幅度下滑后，世界市场上投资者继续抛售股票。
受对美国经济增长减缓和欧洲主权债务危机担忧的驱使，欧洲股市在午后的交易中有所下降，亚洲股市则继续呈颓势。
受到密切关注的日经指数收盘时下跌了2.2%，这是日经指数2009年4月以来的最低水平。除香港之外的亚洲其它地区也出现了类似的股价下跌，以出口为导向的制造业者遭受的损失最为严重。
黄金价格一度上涨到前所未有的水平，每盎司超过1，919美元，然后才转入稳定。由于大批投资者投向美国国债，导致美国国债收益率降低到60多年以来的最低水平。
Switzerland is moving to protect its exporters hurt by Europe's financial crisis, putting a cap on the franc's exchange rate against the euro.
With world stock markets experiencing huge swings in value on an almost daily basis, some investors have turned to gold and purchase of the Swiss currency as safe havens from the market turmoil. That in turn has made the franc more valuable, and the country's exports more costly on world markets.
But the Swiss central bank said Tuesday it would no longer allow the euro to trade below 1.2 francs, aiming for what it called a "substantial and sustained weakening" of the country's currency.
Investors continued to sell stocks on most world exchanges after Monday's steep losses.
European stocks were down in afternoon trading, and some Asian markets continued their slide, driven by fears of slowing growth in the United States and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe.
Japan's closely watched Nikkei index closed down by 2.2 percent, at its lowest level since April 2009, while similar losses were recorded elsewhere in Asia, except in Hong Kong, where stocks rose. Export-oriented manufacturers suffered some of the heaviest losses.
Gold rose to an all-time high at more than $1,919 an ounce before settling back. A flight to U.S. Treasury bonds drove yields to their lowest level in more than 60 years.
Tuesday's stock trading followed losses Monday of around 3 percent in major Asian markets and more than 4 percent in European financial capitals. Analysts blamed the European losses in part on concerns about Greece's ability to meet its debt obligations and the viability of the region's common currency, the euro.
In Singapore, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was quoted saying a new global recession is now more likely than not. However, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said at the same conference be believed a double-dip recession will be avoided.
The two-day round of stock selling in Asia was sparked by Friday's U.S. report that showed stagnant job growth. The data increased concerns that the United States could lapse back into recession.
Worries about U.S. growth were compounded by a downbeat report on China's services sector.