The Swiss trade surplus rose to CHF 4.7 billion in January from CHF 2.7 billion in the previous month, attributable to sharp declines in imports during the month. The report showed that imports during January slid 5.3 percent compared to a 0.6 percent fall in the prior month. Imports declined 6.8 percent on a yearly basis, reversing December’s 1.8 percent increase.
At the same time, month-on-month, exports also fell 4 percent, whereas they rose by 9.7 percent in December. But the extent of declines was less than that of imports. On a yearly basis, exports growth slowed to 2.3 percent from 6.2 percent.