After some years of steady but low growth, the Swiss economy expanded by 2.5% in 2018 on the back of a positive global situation.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-ATS/dos
The figures, released on Thursday by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), showed growth last year that was a hair below expected (+2.6%) but which still marked a jump from 2017 figures (+1.6%).
“The [manufacturing] sector was able to take advantage of strong international demand for Swiss industrial products,” as well as – in the first half of the year at least – a weakened Swiss franc, it wrote.
The growth came largely in the first half of 2018, before following the European trend by slowing in the second. This latter easing was largely due to political uncertainty, a slowdown in the eurozone, and the steadying of the Swiss franc, UBS economist Alessandro Bee told the AWP news agency.
Household consumption and exports nevertheless rebounded slightly in November and December.
A slower outlook is forecast for 2019, with more ‘normal’ growth of +1.5% expected by the state’s economists. UBS is even more pessimistic, however: growing political and economic uncertainties, in Switzerland and Europe, may prompt them to revise downwards their expectations in the coming days.
More
More
Study finds Swiss economy is looking up, but risks abound
This content was published on
Switzerland’s GDP is on track this year to increase by 2.9%, according to a forecast by Zurich’s KOF Swiss Economic Institute published Wednesday.
This content was published on
The latest figures from the Federal Office of Public Health show that lab-confirmed cases dropped from nearly 2,340 to under 2,000 last week.
Swiss cities targeted by Russian hackers during WEF
This content was published on
Russian hackers have targeted canton Schaffhausen and the cities of Geneva and Sierre, paralysing their websites on Wednesday morning.
This content was published on
Paul Hottinguer, a member of one of Switzerland’s most famous banking families, will face trial in Paris for tax fraud and money laundering.
Swiss man who died in Iranian prison had photographed military site
This content was published on
The Iranian judiciary said that the Swiss man who died in an Iranian prison on January 9 had been detained for photographing a restricted military site.
Swiss researchers patent new device for avalanche detection
This content was published on
The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research said it has granted a group of Swiss researchers a patent for a device to enhance avalanche warnings.
Berset discusses ECHR climate ruling implementation at Davos
This content was published on
Switzerland has submitted a report on the court's ruling in Strasbourg. Berset told Justice Minister Beat Jans that the Council of Europe is reviewing it.
This content was published on
A 27-year-old ski tourer has died in the hospital in Sion, in southwestern Switzerland, after being caught in an avalanche on Saturday.
Swiss health minister criticises Trump’s ‘rash’ WHO exit
This content was published on
Switzerland has expressed “deep” regret over Trump’s decision to withdraw from the WHO, Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said in Davos.
This content was published on
Job vacancies in Switzerland fell by 10% in 2024, marking the first negative annual balance since the Covid-19 pandemic, says Adecco.
Swiss president meets Zelensky in Davos amid tensions with Europe
This content was published on
Swiss President met Zelensky at Davos. As Zelensky thanked Switzerland, Keller-Sutter said it's too early to discuss a new summit, awaiting Trump's actions.
This content was published on
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) says that Switzerland is currently experiencing an “increasingly broad-based upswing”.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.