The Switzerland's consumption indicator improved only marginally in March as higher domestic demand for hotel accommodations was offset by the decline in new car registrations and a poorer climate in retail trade, the UBS bank said Wednesday.
The consumption indicator came in at 1.25, compared to a revised 1.24 level in February.
Prime snow conditions made skiing vacations more attractive, and raised overnight hotel stays during winter months. This fuels hope that things in the Swiss tourism industry could improve somewhat in the current year after a bad year in 2012.
Meanwhile, new car registrations collapsed in March. With 12.1 percent fewer new registrations for the month, the automotive market appears to be heading quite exactly toward the 10 percent decline for the full year 2013, it said.
Moreover, data showed that after a slightly positive trend in recent months, the situation in retail trade deteriorated again clearly in March.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.