-- The blue-chip Swiss Market Index closed Thursday's trading session 0.35% in the red, extending its losses, as investors took stock of the latest economic and corporate releases across key markets.
Switzerland's monthly producer and import price index edged up 0.2% month over month in March amid an increase in petroleum product and natural gas prices, according to the Federal Statistical Office. On an annual basis, producer and import prices fell 2.7%.
Elsewhere, the annual inflation rate in the euro area climbed to 2.6% in March from 1.9% in February, while the annual core inflation rate declined to 2.3% from 2.4%, Eurostat's final data showed. In the UK, the country's monthly real gross domestic product rose 0.5% in February, following an upwardly revised 0.1% growth in January.
Back home and in corporate news, Roche (RO.SW) agreed to purchase Saga Diagnostics for up to $595 million, including commercial and regulatory milestone payments, giving it access to Saga's tumor-informed molecular residual disease platform Pathlight. The deal is expected to complete in the third quarter. Shares of the drugmaker were down 0.67% at closing.
Meanwhile, Barry Callebaut (BARN.SW) plummeted 15.59% after reporting a year-over-year drop in fiscal first-half revenue to 6.75 billion francs from 7.29 billion francs, as sales volumes fell 6.9% to 1,010,247 tonnes. Net profit increased over the period. For fiscal 2026, the Swiss chocolate and cocoa products group expects a mid-teens decline in recurring EBIT in local currencies but noted that its profitability outlook is subject to potential impacts from disruption in the Middle East.
"In the first half of our fiscal year, cocoa bean prices decreased, which is encouraging for future chocolate market momentum and supported strong free cash flow generation," Chief Executive Officer Hein Schumacher said. "Yet the unique speed of the market decrease combined with a competitive overcapacity market, volume declines and supply disruption impacted EBIT performance and adjusted our profitability outlook for the year as we prioritize restoring volume and leading the market back to growth. Our immediate priority is to focus - commercially, operationally and organizationally."