Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss government said Tuesday 23 June in announcing trade figures for May that there is “not a glimmer of hope on the horizon” with both exports and imports down by one-fifth. Seven out of 10 export businesses showed drops of 22 to 39 percent. Imports of energy, raw materials and semi-finished products all fell by one-third, reflecting the decline in orders. The May figures confirm the downward trend for the first four months of the year.
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The outlook for the Swiss economy is gloomier than initially believed, says economiesuisse in its latest forecast, published Monday 14 June, which predicts a fall of 2.9 percent in GDP (gross domestic product) for 2009 and another drop of 0.8 percent in 2010. It expects prices to remain stable but internal consumption to be weak, with unemployment growing to 4 percent in 2009 and 5.3 percent in 2010.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s foreign trade, both exports and imports, in February continued the slump that began in December 2008. The trade balance fell to half the figure of a year ago, down to a positive balance of CHF731 million.
All industries were hit by the slump, with imports and exports down by double-digit numbers: 17.3 percent and 13.7 percent respectively. Even the watch industry, which has withstood slumps seen earlier in other industries, was hit hard by a 22.4 percent fall in exports.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Swiss trade balance in January was positive, CHF2 billion, but it continued its “downward spiral,” the federal government in Bern announced Thursday 19 February. Trade with the European Union in particular suffered, with flat trade, both imports and exports.
Neuchatel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The price of goods in Switzerland, both imported and Swiss-produced, fell in January 2009 by 0.8% compared to December 2008, and at an annual rate prices fell for the first time since 2004, by 0.9%. The lower prices of petrol and metal products were key factors in the fall.
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Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – At first glance Switzerland’s trade figures for 2008 are startling: a record positive trade balance of CHF20 million, with exports up 4.6% for the year and imports up 1.8%. Exports for the first time were more than CHF200 billion.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss trade balance remains in the black at CHF2.2 billion but November showed a significant falling off of both imports and exports, notably in trade with the European Union.
