Switzerland – Growing Asian Prospects

Swiss Business Environment

General

While the Swiss economy has been in an upswing in 2014 with an estimated GDP growth of 1.9 per cent, challenges such as the appreciation of the Swiss franc result in a relatively moderate GDP growth of 0.9 per cent in 2015 as predicted by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Consequently, the economic development is expected to be stabilized with an anticipated GDP of 1.5 per cent in 2016. The Swiss Market Index (SMI), Switzerland's blue-chip stock market index, meanwhile rose by a respectable 9.5per cent in 2014. In the first nine months of 2015, the SMI has gained another 3.8 per cent.

This sound performance of the Swiss economy is to a large extent due to a steady increase of Swiss exports to Asian countries. In 2014 Swiss exports (excl. precious metals, precious and semi-precious stones, works of art and antiques) reached an alltime high of 208.4 billion Swiss francs. After a slight decline in 2013, exports to