The Swiss stock market ended on a positive note on Monday, with equities rebounding from initial declines and gaining strength as buying interest increased across various sectors by late afternoon.
The Swiss Market Index (SMI), which had slipped to 12,228.98 during early trading, closed up by 129.33 points, or 1.05%, at 12,416.61.
Givaudan led the gains with a rise of 5.66%, while SGS surged approximately 4.7% following the announcement that its discussions with French company Bureau Veritas regarding a potential merger had concluded without an agreement being reached.
Nestlé also enjoyed a strong session, increasing nearly 4%. Novartis advanced by 2.17%, and Zurich Insurance Group finished close to 2% higher.
Roche Holding rose by 1.6% after announcing positive top-line results from the second year of its Phase 3 Embark trial for Elevidys, a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. According to a consensus from 15 analyst estimates compiled by Visible Alpha, Roche is projected to achieve sales of 60.41 billion Swiss francs ($66.68 billion) for last year, having reported sales of 58.72 billion francs in 2023.
In terms of earnings, Roche's core earnings per share are anticipated to be 18.59 francs, per the Visible Alpha consensus. For 2023, the company reported core EPS of 18.57 francs.
As of Monday morning trading in Europe, Roche's stock has risen 9.2% since the beginning of 2025 and has increased 13% over the past 12 months.
Adecco, Swiss Re, Swiss Life Holding, Kuehne + Nagel, and Alcon all closed higher, with gains ranging from 1.1% to 1.4%.
Conversely, ABB experienced a drop of 5.85%, while VAT Group declined by 5.27%. Partners Group fell nearly 2%, and Lindt & Sprüngli slipped by 1.25%.
