Customs data show decline in Swiss exports, imports

The Swiss Federal Customs Administration announced on Tuesday that Swiss exports and imports, totalling over 100.1 billion CHF (104.3 billion U.S. dollars) and 82 billion CHF respectively, registered a decline during this year's first six months.

Relative to 2014 figures, Swiss authorities indicated that exports dropped by 2.6 percent and that imports to the confederation recorded a 7.4 percent decrease in the first six months of this year.

Statistics show that exports to the European Union fell by 8 percent, exports to Africa declined 15 percent while exports to Latin America registered a 1 percent drop.

On the other hand, exports to the United States and China increased by 6 and 2 percent respectively.

In terms of nominal variation, Swiss paper and graphical arts exports sank by 12.6 percent whereas the Swiss watch industry reported a 0.4 percent increase and jewellery exports rose by 15.2 percent.

Figures indicate that the confederation's trade balance for exports and imports between January and June of this year reached 17.7 billion CHF.