BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market ended the first session of the new trading week with a modest increase. The market is attempting to bounce back from the 2.4 percent drop it experienced during the previous trading week.
Trading activity was on the light side Monday. The market received support in the afternoon, from the positive performance of the U.S. markets. Investors will be watching for the release of the U.S. employment report for April at the end of the trading week.
The Swiss Market Index increased by 0.21 percent Monday and finished at 9,095.82. The Swiss Leader Index climbed by 0.46 percent and the Swiss Performance Index added 0.32 percent.
Syngenta was the top performing stock Monday, surging by 8.1 percent. The move was driven by media reports, which emerged late Thursday, that Monsanto has approached the company about a merger.
Notable gains were also turned in by Transocean, which rose by 2.0 percent, and Actelion, which added 1.7 percent. Lonza climbed by 1.5 percent and Sonova advanced by 0.9 percent.
Nestle was the only positive performer among the index heavyweights, finishing higher by 0.1 percent. Roche and Novartis both decreased by 0.2 percent.
Credit Suisse dropped by 2.1 percent, after the stock began trading on an ex-dividend basis. UBS climbed by 1.0 percent and Julius Baer gained 0.8 percent.
Sika, Zurich Insurance and Baloise all finished with loss of 0.8 percent each.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX