BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Switzerland stock market ended lower on Tuesday, in line with the trend seen across Europe, as investors stayed cautious and refrained from making big moves amid continued uncertainty about a U.S.-China trade deal before the end of this week.
After a weak start and a subsequent fall to lower levels, the market regained some lost ground as the session progressed, but still ended weak.
The benchmark SMI ended down 44.36 points, or 0.43%, at 10,390.53, nearly 100 points off the day's low of 10,295.58. The index touched a high of 10,418.60 in the session.
On Monday, the SMI ended down 28.99 points, or 0.28%, at 10,434.89, snapping a three-day winning streak.
Alcon, UBS Group, Adecco and Swisscom declined more than 1%. Nestle, Credit Suisse, Zurich Insurance Group, Swiss Re, Swiss Life Holding and Richemont shed 0.6 to 0.9%.
Roche Holding shares declined marginally. The drugmaker said it obtained the CE Mark, a certification that indicates conformity with health, safety and environmental protection standards, for its Accu-Chek SugarView app.
In the midcap section, AMS ended more than 5% down, extending losses to a second straight session. Temenos Group shares declined 4.2%. Baloise Holding, Schindler Ps and Schindler Holding lost about 1% each.
Among the other major markets in Europe, France ended modestly higher, with its benchmark CAC 40 advancing 0.18%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 and Germany's DAX shed 0.28% and 0.27%, respectively. The pan European Stoxx 600 ended down 0.26%.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX