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Switzerland GDP Q3 2018: -0.2 percent QoQ, +2.4 percent YoY

Switzerland’s GDP fell by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter of 2018 due to both the industrial and service sectors. On the expenditure side, domestic demand and foreign trade had a negative impact.

Switzerland’s GDP fell by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter of 2018, after climbing by 0.7% in the previous quarter. 1 The strong, continuous growth phase enjoyed by the Swiss economy for one and a half years was suddenly interrupted.

Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (GDP) QoQ, Q3 2018

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Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (GDP) QoQ, Q3 2018

Source: investing.com - Click to enlarge

Switzerland is thus following the significant economic downturn seen at the same time in other European countries, particularly Germany.

Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (GDP) YoY, Q3 2018

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Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (GDP) YoY, Q3 2018

Source: investing.com - Click to enlarge

Production Side

Both the industrial and service sectors contributed to the negative quarterly result. Value added in manufacturing dipped slightly (−0.6%); however, in the context of the particularly dynamic growth of the past few quarters, this amounts to a normalisation at a high level. In the energy sector too, value added decreased after two extremely positive previous quarters (−2.2%), with the dry summer resulting in production downtime at hydropower plants. In line with the fall in production in these sectors, exports of industrial goods and energy decreased sharply. Total exports of goods2 (−4.2%) also contracted substantially. At least, October’s foreign trade figures are already indicating a swift recovery.

GDP YoY Growth, Q3 2018

GDP YoY Growth, Q3 2018

Source: bfs.admin.ch - Click to enlarge

GDP Growth

The quarterly result for the service sector was hardly better. Value added in trade (−1.0%) declined significantly following an already negative previous quarter, driven down by both retail and wholesale. The financial sector also recorded a minor drop, with the steady expansion lasting for several quarters being interrupted. Both value added (−1.1%) and exports of financial services decreased. In contrast, the positive development of the previous quarters persisted in the business services (+0.7%) and health sectors (+0.5%). The sluggish growth in services reflects, on the one hand, the generally subdued foreign demand for Swiss services. On the other hand, the weak domestic economy in the course of the subdued consumption climate in Switzerland also affected the 3rd quarter.

Quarter on Quarter Growth Rates ESVG, Q3 2018

Quarter on Quarter Growth Rates ESVG, Q3 2018

- Click to enlarge

Exports

Private households barely increased their consumption expenditures (+0.1%) in the 3rd quarter, showing little willingness to make major purchases in light of weak real wage development. General government consumption (−0.1%) decreased slightly, while investment in construction (+0.02%) almost flatlined. Investment in equipment (−2.0%) fell sharply in almost all categories – only investment in machineries was slightly higher than in the previous quarter. In line with the decline in domestic demand, imports3 of goods and services (−1.6%) also slackened considerably.

Year on Year Growth Rates ESVG, Q3 2018

Year on Year Growth Rates ESVG, Q3 2018

- Click to enlarge

Download press release: Gross domestic product in the 3nd quarter of 2018

 

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Swiss Statistics
The Swiss Federal Statistics Office publishes information on the situation and developments in Switzerland in a multitude of fields and plays a part in enabling comparisons at an internal level.
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