SNB cut rates against market expectations
Swiss National Bank cut the policy rate by 25 BPS to 1.50%. USDCHF and EURCHF both jumped by more than one figure to 0.8970 and 0.9780 respectively. Market was only pricing in a 35% probability of this cut.
BREAKING >>> SNB Chairman Thomas Jordan to step down at the end of September 2024
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Rolex Sales Reach $10 Billion for the First Time: Report
Rolex sales crested $10 billion for the first time as the top Swiss watch brand gained market share, according to a report by Morgan Stanley. The dominant Swiss luxury watch brand produced 1.24 million watches in 2023 with sales of 10.1 billion Swiss francs ($11.5 billion). That’s a gain of 11% from 2022, analysts at Morgan Stanley and Swiss firm LuxeConsult said in a report Wednesday, adding Rolex’s current level of market share is “unprecedented.” The maker of the Daytona, Submariner and Datejust models grew its retail market share to just over 30% as well-heeled buyers clamored for watches made by the Geneva-based entity, which is controlled by a charitable trust named for Hans Wilsdorf, who co-founded the brand in 1908. The lower priced Tudor watch brand, which is owned by the same foundation as Rolex, had sales of about 545 million francs in 2023, according to Morgan Stanley estimates. source : bloomberg, morgan stanley
Swiss watch exports rose modestly in January
Monthly exports increased 3.1% to 1.9 billion Swiss francs ($2.2 billion) by value, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said Tuesday. Growth was as high as 11.8% in the first half of last year. The number of timepieces exported rose 2.9% to 1.2 million as shipments of the Swatch brand’s Blancpain and Omega collaborations drove demand at the low end. The number of exported watches priced above 3,000 francs fell 4.5% in January, even as their value rose 4.3%, the Federation said in a statement. At the same time, the number of watches exported with a wholesale price of less than 200 francs surged 5.5% driven by the Swatch Group AG’s namesake brand. Exports to the US, the biggest market for Swiss timepieces, rose by a modest 2.2% by value. Mainland China exports gained 5% while shipments to Hong Kong fell 4.7%. Exports of watches hit a record 26.7 billion Swiss francs by value in 2023, but the rate of sales growth slumped to just 3.6% in the second half of the year as consumers pulled back. source : swissinfo
