Swiss Stocks Close Higher; ABB Shares Fall After Q3 Results

11:56 AM EDT, 10/20/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The blue-chip Swiss Market Index closed Tuesday's trading session 0.76% in the green as investors digested a fresh batch of economy-related data prints and company updates. Switzerland's trade surplus reached 14.01 billion francs in the third quarter, up from the revised 13.20 billion francs in the prior quarter, data from the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security showed. Seasonally adjusted exports increased 2.6% on a nominal basis to 74.99 billion francs, while imports rose 1.8% to a new all-time high of 60.98 billion francs. On the watchmaking front, the country's watch exports climbed 11.7% year over year to 2.23 billion francs in September, marking the fourth straight month of growth, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Elsewhere, the unemployment rate in the UK declined to 4.7% in the three months to August from 4.9% in the prior three-month period. In the eurozone, the ZEW indicator of economic sentiment fell to 18.5 points in October from 25.8 points in September, while the current economic situation indicator decreased by 0.9 points to -14.8 points. Over to corporates, ABB (ABBN.SW) shed 5.01% at closing as it reported a year-over-year fall in third-quarter attributable net income to $1.18 billion from $1.21 billion, weighed down by lower results in discontinued operations related to a tax charge linked to the setting legal structure ahead of the divestment of its Robotics business. The Switzerland-based electrification and automation group's revenue, on the other hand, climbed 14% over the period to $9.70 billion. "In the fourth quarter of 2026, we expect comparable revenue growth to be broadly similar to the third quarter and Operational EBITA margin to sequentially soften although less than historical pattern. This excludes the positive impact of ∼CHF240 million related to the sale of properties already completed in Q4," Chief Executive Officer Morten Wierod said. "In full-year 2026, we expect a positive book-to-bill, and comparable revenue growth in the 'low teens' range, year-on-year." Huber+Suhner's (HUBN.SW) nine-month net sales increased to 734.1 million francs from the year-ago 659.4 million francs, bolstered by double-digit sales and order intake growth in its industry segment, alongside increased momentum in its transport division. For 2026, the Swiss electrical and optical connectivity group still expects to achieve organic sales growth of at least 10%. The stock closed the session 4.12% higher.