Exports rose 3.3 percent on the year to CHF 17.11 billion, boosted by higher plastic sales (+ 6.6 percent yoy), metallurgical (+ 5.9 percent) and chemical and pharmaceutical products (+ 3.9 percent).
Shipments to Asia and Australia contracted on the year (-4 percent and -12 percent, respectively), while those to Latin America (+ 29 percent, mainly sales to Mexico which surged 135 percent), North America (+ 11 percent), Europe (+ 3 percent, mainly those to the UK rose 30 percent) and Africa (+ 11 percent) increased.
Imports fell slightly by 0.1 percent on the year to CHF 14.5 billion. Inward shipments of energy products contracted 15 percent, while purchases of equipment rose 2 percent, mainly auto imports (+ 13 percent). Purchases from the US fell 9 percent.