Swiss Stocks

Top shares in Switzerland

Economy and politics

Prosperity in the middle of the Alps. The gross domestic product was about $762 billion in 2020, but Switzerland has only 8.5 million inhabitants from 26 different cantons.

Switzerland has considerable economic power. The economy in Switzerland is very health care and financially oriented. In these sectors work the increased largest and best known companies from Switzerland, such as. Roche or the UBS.

Switzerland is known by many around the world for its low taxes, which is why some wealthy celebrities, among others, have moved their residences to Switzerland.

The special tax problem for German shareholders

Double taxation. Switzerland is a country that stands for a very free market and low taxes. In Switzerland, the average tax for companies is only 14% (Germany: 30%). This is because in Switzerland, capital gains are tax-free. Dividends, however, have to be taxed.

For German investors, it is 35% tax, of which 15% is creditable against German capital gains tax. This results in a high, unsightly double taxation. However, you can easily reclaim the tax via a tax voucher that you can obtain from your broker (sometimes for a fee).

A special feature in Switzerland are also dividends in kind, so-called Bhaltis. Perhaps the best known is the Lindt Chocolate suitcase worth CHF 200, which you receive once a year as a shareholder.

The largest companies

Value stocks dominate here. The world's largest food producer Nestlé , das Pharma- und Diagnostikunternehmen Roche and the pharmaceutical company Novartis are well known to shareholders. The three companies are among the top 10 largest companies in Europe and are all headquartered in Switzerland. They are global leaders and produce sought-after products in the consumer and health sectors.

AAbut the financial sector also has a major impact on the Swiss economy. Zurich is a financial center in Europe and a popular location for banks. Well-known financial companies from Switzerland are UBS (Bank & Vermögensverwalter), Julius Baer (Bank) und Partners Group (Private Equity).

Headquarters of the largest companies

The well-known companies Novartis und Roche have their headquarters in Basel, Nestlé in Vevey and Lindt & Sprüngli in Kilchberg.

The largest and most important trading centers

Access is not easy for foreign investors. Swiss shares can no longer be traded on European stock exchanges. Therefore, one has to take the detour via a foreign order in order to put shares of Swiss companies into one's securities account.

The most important trading venues in Switzerland are SIX Swiss Exchange, which was created in 1995 by the merger of the three stock exchanges in Geneva, Basel and Zurich, and the BX Swiss in Berne. The first stock exchange in Switzerland was the Geneva Stock Exchange, founded in 1850.

The Swiss Market Index (SMI) has a trading volume of CHF 1.2 trillion. Five companies completed a successful IPO in 2021.

Price development of the indices

Switzerland's leading index is the Swiss Market Index 20 (SMI 20), which combines the returns of the 20 largest Swiss companies. The maximum weighting of individual companies in the index is limited to 18%, as there are large differences in the market capitalization of the SMI companies.

The SMI was launched on June 30, 1988. Its base value was set at 1,500 points at that time. Currently, the index is above 10,800 points. (as of 11.09.2022)

Öffnungszeiten in der Schweiz

A trading day on the Swiss Exchange lasts from 06:00 to 22:00 (CET).

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, it is currently quite complicated for EU citizens to buy Swiss shares.