No. 126, February

There are frequent reports in the news about data theft – with victims ranging from companies to politicians, as was recently the case in Germany. How well are Swiss companies protecting their data against attacks? Do bigger companies have better defences than smaller ones? The authors have followed up on these questions in the context of the KOF Innovation Survey.  

What is the trend in research and development (R&D) collaboration and technology sourcing between developed and developing nations? A new study shows that Europe is lagging behind the USA when it comes to the number of collaborations with developing nations

Total investment in Switzerland is set to lose momentum this year, as shown by the results of the semi-annual KOF Investment Survey. Although the respondents once again intend to increase their investment activities in the current year, they plan to do so to a lesser extent than in the last few years.  

According to the results of the current KOF Business Tendency Surveys, which were conducted among 9,000 businesses, companies assess their current business situation as slightly less favourable than before. The KOF Business Situation Indicator has begun the year in the minus (see G 5). Companies are also less positive about their expected business trend. However, confidence about the future business development predominates. Nevertheless, companies are increasingly facing some headwinds.