Swiss trade surplus nearly doubles in second quarter as exports boom

ZURICH, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Switzerland's trade surplus nearly doubled to 23.7 billion Swiss francs ($28.86 billion) during the second quarter of 2026, the Swiss National Bank said on Tuesday, as the country sold more goods abroad.

The balance of payments widened from 13.8 billion francs a year earlier, due mainly to a increase in goods trade, the SNB said, although it noted the comparable surplus was relatively low for the same period in 2025.

Switzerland recorded a goods trading surplus of nearly 30 billion francs during the quarter, and a deficit of 4.4 billion francs for services.

The overall current account surplus was the widest since the first quarter of 2025, and reflected the recovery of Switzerland's export-orientated economy, which was shaken last year by higher tariffs imposed by the United States.

Swiss exports increased by 5.5% in the second quarter, leading to the government last week upgrading its forecast for economic growth this year.

There was also an increased in the transit trade - where companies buy goods and services abroad and resell them directly to another country without the goods ever passing through Switzerland.

The deficit on gold trading was also smaller than a year earlier, the SNB said.

($1 = 0.8211 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by John Revill, Editing by Friederike Heine)