The Swiss stock market began Friday's trading session to the downside, but was able to recover over the course of the day. The release of positive economic data from the U.S. in the afternoon provided a boost to the Swiss market.
The U.S. Labor Department revised the data for the months of December and November and the unemployment rate came in with an unexpected decrease. The increase in the number of weekly hours suggests an increase in industrial production. The ISM manufacturing index number also increased more sharply than expected.
The Swiss Market Index climbed by 31 points to 6,153, an increase of 1.47%. The Swiss Leader Index increased by 1.60% and the Swiss Performance Index gained 1.43%.
Among the financial stocks, shares of the big banks were the top gainers. UBS rose by 3.5% and Credit Suisse finished up by 2.7%. ZFS increased by 2.2% Friday and Swiss Re climbed by 1.5%. The index heavyweights also finished to the plus side. Roche gained 2.6%, Novartis closed higher by 0.7% and Nestle rose by 0.7%.
Cyclicals also finished in the green Friday. Nobel Biocare was the standout performer, with an increase of 4.9%. Adecco gained 3.7% and Logitech rose by 3.1%. Luxury goods companies Swatch and Richemont finished higher by 2.0% and 1.3% respectively.
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