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Swiss Blue-chip Index Slips Amid Earnings Rush; Swiss Re Shares Down

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The Swiss Market Index slipped back into the red on Thursday, closing 1.11% lower, as investors digested a fresh batch of corporate earnings and economic data releases while closely monitoring geopolitical developments in the Middle East.

Switzerland's foreign currency reserves declined to 715.73 billion francs in April from the revised 721 billion francs in March, according to data from the Swiss National Bank (SNBN.SW). In terms of jobs, government data showed that the unemployment rate in Switzerland ticked down to 3% in April from 3.1% in the previous month.

On the geopolitical front, a Swiss delegation led by Federal Department of Foreign Affairs State Secretary Alexandre Fasel met with the US deputy secretary of state in Washington, with talks focused on the current geopolitical situation, bilateral economic cooperation, innovation, and future-oriented issues.

In corporate news, telecommunications group Swisscom (SCMN.SW), travel retailer Avolta (AVOL.SW) and reinsurance giant Swiss Re (SREN.SW) were among Switzerland-listed companies that published earnings updates.

Swiss Re saw its shares lose 3.19% at closing as it reported a group insurance revenue of $10.03 billion in the first quarter, down from the year-ago $10.41 billion, impacted by lower revenue at its property and casualty reinsurance division and the company's ongoing exit from its iptiQ business. Group net income, in contrast, increased 19% year over year.

"Q1 net income of $1,513m was 27% above company-compiled consensus of $1,193m, but of mixed quality - driven almost entirely by nat cat losses 67% below the quarterly budget and flattered by a ~12pts discounting benefit in P&C Re (vs ~8pts in Q1 2025), albeit incorporating a $400m reserve strengthening for Iran War impact. Revenues, new business volumes and pricing reflected increasing cyclical pressure, however," RBC Capital Markets said in a quick take note, with a negative sentiment on Swiss Re.

Meanwhile, Roche (RO.SW) agreed to buy US-based company PathAI in a merger deal that would strengthen its digital pathology portfolio. The Swiss pharmaceutical major will make an upfront payment of $750 million and a further $300 million in milestones, with the deal anticipated to be completed in the second half. The stock was down 1.39% at the end of the trading day.

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Exchange-Traded Funds Rise as US Equities Climb After Midday

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Swiss Market Index Rallies; Alcon, Logitech Shares Fall

The Swiss Market Index remained in the green on Wednesday, closing 1.77% higher, amid renewed hopes that the war in the Middle East will soon end.The US and Iran are said to be close to reaching an agreement on a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding to end the war, multiple media outlets including Axios and Reuters reported, citing sources. Meanwhile, in a post on the Truth Social platform, US President Donald Trump said if Iran "agrees to give what has been agreed to," the war and blockade will end, warning that the bombing would start "at a much higher level and intensity than it was before" if an agreement is not reached.Back home, Switzerland's private sector saw an improvement in April, with the KOF Business Situation Indicator rising to 18.3 from 16.6 in the previous month."The Business Situation Indicator for the manufacturing sector has fully recovered from its decline in March. The indicator is rising even more sharply in the project engineering sector and, more moderately, in the wholesale trade. Other services and the retail trade are also showing modest upturns," the KOF Swiss Economic Institute said. "However, the business outlook for the next six months is generally becoming more subdued - particularly in the hospitality sector, the wholesale trade and manufacturing."Over to corporates, Logitech International (LOGN.SW) fiscal 2026 net income rose on a yearly basis to $711.2 million, compared with $631.5 million, while net sales grew to $4.84 billion from $4.55 billion. The Swiss computer peripherals and software company's shares were down 0.40% at the end of the trading session.Swiss eye care products group Alcon (ALC.SW) also saw its shares fall 10.96% at closing as first-quarter net income plunged year over year to $189 million from $350 million. Operating income dropped 38% to $292 million, dented by costs associated with efficiency initiatives, impairment charges related to an intangible asset, and incremental tariffs. Net sales, on the other hand, increased over the period."Despite having a dominant position in its target markets, Alcon's investment case hinges on margin expansion, which entails execution risks. The ophthalmology market growth, though sticky to a material extent, remains capped at around a mid-single digit percentage. As a result, we expect Alcon to chase inorganic growth in the quarters/years ahead, especially considering the termination of proposed acquisition of STAAR Surgical in January 2026," analysts at AlphaValue/Baader Europe said in a note. "While we currently have a 12% upside on Alcon, one may want to wait for more of a correction in the share price for lucrative returns."

^SSMI$ALC.SW$LOGN.SW
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UK Shares Rally on Potential End to War; Smith & Nephew Shares Fall

London's FTSE 100 closed 2.15% higher on Wednesday on signs of a potential US-Iran deal to end the war, while expansion across the UK's private sector accelerated."Trump announced a temporary pause to 'Project Freedom,' a naval operation in the Strait of Hormuz, indicating a potential de-escalation. Oil prices declined following the announcement and continued to fall overnight, driven by expectations of progress toward a peace deal with Iran, as hinted by Trump. Trump's upcoming visit to China adds further complexity, given Beijing's close ties with Tehran and its economic reliance on oil transit through the strait," Danske Bank said.Back home, Britain's private sector output growth accelerated in April, indicating a moderate rise in manufacturing production and in services sector activity, data from S&P Global showed. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UK PMI Composite Output Index rose to 52.6 from 50.3 in March. The flash estimate stood at 52."[This] improvement could easily prove short-lived as new business intakes remained subdued in comparison to the start of 2026," S&P Global Market Intelligence Economics Director Tim Moore said. "Survey respondents widely noted that the Middle East conflict and subsequent global supply chain disruptions had weighed heavily on business and consumer confidence."In corporate news, alcoholic beverage company Diageo (DGE.L) climbed 6.34% after affirming its fiscal 2026 guidance and logging a 2.3% yearly increase in net sales for the fiscal third quarter ended March 31 to $4.48 billion."While the spirits environment remains challenging, particularly in the US, Diageo's refreshed strategy and increased reinvestment should support a medium-term growth acceleration, we believe," BofA Global Research said. "The US remains a key headwind, with limited visibility on the timing and pace of a recovery, but performance elsewhere in the group is solid. We see further upside from accelerated deleveraging."On the downside, medical device manufacturer Smith & Nephew (SN.L) dropped 3.58% after launching a $500 million share repurchase program, maintaining its outlook for full-year 2026, and posting growth in first-quarter revenue to $1.50 billion from $1.41 billion."We expect investors to be incrementally reassured by the in-line revenue delivery in Q1 and the $500m share buyback programme. However, we do not see these results as materially de-risking 2026 guidance at this stage, and we continue to see potential downside to guidance in future periods," RBC Capital Markets said.

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