No. 131, July/August

With the KOF Business Situation Indicator recording another slight decline in June, the business situation among Swiss companies has been slowing down slightly month-by-month since November of last year (see G 5). The economy is facing increasing headwinds.

In 2019, Swiss companies intend to increase investment activities by around 1%. This is the result of the semi-annual KOF Investment Survey. Compared to the preceding years, this figure is rather low. The slowdown is predominantly due to construction investments.

KOF researchers have investigated the impact of self-study on the probability of completing a vocational baccalaureate II course. They found that a higher degree of self-study results in a higher number of dropouts. By contrast, the final grades are no different.

Many companies hope that the Chinese infrastructure project will bring them new business opportunities, among them also Swiss companies. While the associated economic potential is enormous, so are the uncertainties and challenges. An overview in four points.