The Swiss market experienced a moderate decline on Monday, with investor sentiment dampened by ongoing concerns over global economic growth, interest rate uncertainties, and persistent political and tariff-related apprehensions.
The Swiss Market Index (SMI) concluded the day down by 90.19 points, or 0.76%, settling at 11,701.72. It fluctuated during the session, hitting a low of 11,651.45 and a high of 11,735.81.
Holcim saw a nearly 4% drop, while VAT Group and Partners Group ended the day down by 2.74% and 2.66%, respectively. Straumann Holding also saw a decline of 2.14%.
Other notable losers included Lonza Group, which fell 1.73%, and UBS Group, which decreased by 1.61%. Additional companies suffering losses between 1% to 1.4% were Schindler Ps, Sandoz Group, ABB, Zurich Insurance Group, Alcon, and Sonova. Furthermore, Julius Baer, Swatch Group, Roche Holding, SGS, and Kuehne + Nagel also saw declining stocks.
On a brighter note, Adecco gained approximately 1.1%, while Nestle and Swisscom recorded modest increases.
According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Swiss consumer confidence showed significant improvement in December compared to the previous year. The consumer sentiment index rose to -30.3, up from -44.4, as reported. Notably, all four sub-components of the index saw improvements over last year’s levels. The economic outlook indicator made a moderate recovery, moving to -23.2 from -28.5.
Additionally, the past financial situation sub-index demonstrated a pronounced recovery in December, jumping to -44.9 from -63.5. The financial outlook index also improved, reaching -25.1 compared to -45.7 the previous year. As for the indicator concerning the timing of major purchases, it improved to -28.1 from -39.8 year-over-year.
