For May
Official Release: PDF

From the Release: "The SVME Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose again in May. Its 5.1-index-point advance was the strongest since September 2005. This second successive increase seems to have broken the 15-month downtrend that has been in place since December 2007. However, the PMI remains well outside the growth zone that begins at the 50-point mark. It has been below this threshold for nine consecutive months now. In fact, Swiss industrial activity is contracting to such an extent that the index has failed to progress beyond even the 40-point mark for seven months in a row. The economic decline thus continues, but at a slower pace than previously. Smoothed out over threemonths, the longer-term trend also shows clearly that the downturn is losing momentum. Expressed in this way, the index advanced by 2.4 points to 35.7 points."

For March

Switzerland’s SVME PMI was at 32.6 in March, the same level as in February, indicating continued contraction in the Swiss manufacturing sector, the Swiss Association of Purchasing and Materials Management reported.

For January
Provided by: Credit Suise

For December
Provided by: Credit Suise
Official Release: PDF

The SVME PMI also rose from its all time low, following 8 straight months of declines. Expectations were for a lower reading. Still, a figure below 50 represents contraction in manager's purchases.

For November
Provided by: Credit Suise
Official Release: PDF

From the Release: "The SVME Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dropped 11.8 index points in November to come in at 35.2 points. This is its sharpest fall and lowest-ever level since the survey began in 1995. UP until August, the PMI was still in the growth zone, and it fell only marginally short of the 50-point threshold in September and October. Now it is well into the red. The threemonth average also shows that industry is slamming on the brakes –smoothed out over three months, the PMI comes to 43.4 points. And while the average index for the year to date is still above the 50-point growth threshold, at 52.8 points, it is still 15% below the year-back figure of 61.9 points. Evidently, all investment that is not absolutely necessary has been deferred or even shelved completely owing to November's escalation of the financial crisis.

All five index subcomponents were behind the drop, and all subcomponents are currently below the 50-point threshold. It is nonetheless positive that demand for labor remained relatively robust over the past month. The employment component softened only slightly (3.3 points) and is only just outside the growth zone, at 46.0 points. Price pressures have also eased: the purchasing prices subcomponent again fell markedly, by 9.5 points to 34.8 points. Meanwhile, the output (27.7 points) and suppliers' delivery times (35.8 points), as well as the backlog of orders (29.9 points) indicators all fell to historical lows. And the stocks of purchases component is now at its lowest level since March 2007 (47.7 points)."

For October
Provided by: Credit Suise
Official Release: PDF

The Swiss Manufacturing PMI in October fell to a 5 1/2-year low, dropping to 47.0 from September's 47.8. This is the second month in a row of contraction, but was much easier than the drop to 45.5 as economists predicted. The The output component saw improvement, rising 5.9 points to hit 49.0. The specific factors pulling down the index this week were backlog of orders (-1.2 to 43.5), supplier's delivery times (-7.1 to 44.1), employment (-6.4 to 49.3). This kept the 3 main contributors to the downside from dragging the index significantly. Purchase price, which is not weighted in the overall index, had a significant drop of 17.2 to 44.3.

From the release: The decline in the index is softer in absolute terms than the average downturn at present (-1.3), and much less marked than in September (-4.7) in particular. That said, the PMI once again falls short of the threshold of 50 points which separates expansion and contraction. The skid marks of economic growth are also visible in the threemonth mean. In fact, this smoothed-out measure of the PMI has fallen below the 50-point mark for the first time in five years (49.1).

For September
Provided by: Credit Suisse
Official Release: PDF

From the Release: "The SVME Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) slipped 4.7 index points in September to its present level of 47.8 points. It thus breached the 50-point threshold that separates growth and contraction for the first time in 44 months. The PMI has not reached such a low since February 2005 (46.6 points). This eighth decline in the index in ten month is certainly the sharpest since March 2008. The loss of momentum in industrial activity is also evident from a longer-term perspective. The mean PMI for the year to date comes to 55.5 points, but reached 62.0 points during the comparable year-back period –a drop of 10%. All five index subcomponents triggered the PMI's latest downturn. Three components slipped below the 50-point threshold."