BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Swiss stocks closed on a strong note on Monday, in line with other markets in Europe, thanks to encouraging retail sales and manufacturing activity data.
The benchmark SMI closed with an impressive gain of 220.85 points or 1.67% at 13,409.11, the day's high.
Nestle climbed about 2.85%, Richemont, Logitech International, Amrize, Novartis, Lindt & Spruengli, Galderma Group, Schindler Ps and UBS Group gained 2%-2.5%.
Helvetia Baloise Holding, Holcim, Zurich Insurance, SGS, ABB, Sika, Julius Baer, Swiss Life Holding and Roche Holding moved up 1%-2%.
Sonova ended down by about 1.1%. Alcon, VAT Group, Givaudan and Partners Group slipped 0.3%-0.7%.
A report from the Federal Statistical Office showed Swiss retail sales increased at the fastest pace in six months in December. The report said retail sales climbed 1% on a monthly basis in December in real terms, reversing a 0.1% fall in November.
Sales of food, drinks, and tobacco increased 1.3%, while those of non-food products dropped 0.4%.
On a yearly basis, retail sales growth accelerated to 2.9% in December from 1.7% in November. That was above the expected increase of 2.5%. Online sales were 10.8% higher, recovering sharply from a 13.1% plunge in November.
Switzerland's procure.ch and UBS manufacturing PMI rose to 48.8 in January 2026 from an upwardly revised 46.4 in December, signalling a modest easing of pressure on the industrial sector.
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