No. 177, October

The KOF Business Situation Indicator for the Swiss private sector retreated very slightly in September after flatlining in the previous month (see chart G 8). Its decline was modest, however, and in return companies are slightly more confident about their future business than they were before. The Swiss economy is not showing any fundamental signs of change at the moment.  

Swiss foreign trade is holding up well despite global turbulence and the current weakness of major trading partners such as China and Germany.

The international economy has slowed. Above all, the effects of China’s weakness and of restrictive monetary policy are weighing on the global economy.  

KOF economists Vera Eichenauer and Heiner Mikosch talk in an interview about the Chinese economy’s weaknesses and their impact on the Swiss economy.