Swiss Market Ends Higher For 4th Straight Day

(RTTNews) - The Switzerland stock market ended on a firm note on Tuesday, extending gains from previous session, continuing to ride on optimism about a global economic recovery thanks to the rollout of coronavirus vaccines.

The signing of a massive $2.3 trillion stimulus plan by the U.S. President Donald Trump, and expectations of further stimulus continued to support the market.

The benchmark SMI ended with a gain of 78.55 points or 0.74% at 10,682.04, slightly off the day's high.

On Monday, the index ended with a gain of 191.57 points or 1.84%, rising for a third straight session.

Novartis gained about 2%. Partners Group and Geberit advanced 1.4% and 1.25%, respectively. Nestle ended nearly 1% up, while Roche Holding, Sika, Alcon, Lonza Group, Swisscom and Givaudan gained 0.5 to 0.7%.

ABB, Credit Suisse, Zurich Insurance Group, Swiss Life Holding and UBS Group closed weak.

In the midcap section, PSP Swiss Property surged up 2.5%. Vifor Pharma ended nearly 2% up, while Lindt & Spruengli, Logitech, Swiss Prime Site and Cembra Money Bank gained 1.4 to 1.7%.

According to the Federal Office of Public Health, Switzerland saw 4,197 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, higher than the seven-day average of 3,429 cases.