On Tuesday, the Swiss market experienced a promising start, but momentum waned as the day progressed, ultimately closing slightly lower. This shift was influenced by some lackluster earnings reports that dampened investor sentiment. Additionally, market participants remained attentive to the U.S. Presidential election and forthcoming announcements from the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.
The benchmark Swiss Market Index (SMI) concluded the session down by 30.93 points, or 0.26%, settling at 11,866.01. During the day, the index fluctuated between an intraday low of 11,839.35 and a high of 11,924.70.
Shares of Adecco saw a decline of nearly 6% after the human resource solutions firm announced third-quarter pre-tax income of 137 million euros, a drop from 162 million euros in the corresponding period the previous year, largely due to reduced revenue. Net income fell to 99 million euros, or 0.59 euros per share, compared to 103 million euros, or 0.62 euros per share, a year earlier. Operating income decreased by 12% to 162 million euros from 184 million euros in the previous year.
The Swatch Group's shares ended 2.5% lower. Other companies experiencing losses included Novartis, Roche Holding, Kuehne + Nagel, Givaudan, Nestle, Sandoz Group, and Swisscom, which saw declines ranging from 1% to 1.7%.
In contrast, ABB outperformed with a gain of 2.51%, while UBS Group rose by 1.86%, and Holcim advanced by 1.64%. Swiss Re gained 1.59% on the news of its agreement to sell iptiQ division's European property and casualty business to Allianz Direct, as part of a strategic exit from iptiQ. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second or third quarter of 2025.
Additionally, companies such as Sonova, Partners Group, SIG Group, Zurich Insurance, and Alcon experienced increases between 0.8% and 1.3%. VAT Group and Logitech International recorded modest gains.
According to data from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland's unemployment rate remained steady at a non-seasonally adjusted 2.5% in October, unchanged from the previous month.