The market situation facing the Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering industries remained difficult in the third quarter of 2009. Both sales (-24.4%) and orders (-18.5%) were substantially lower than in the same period last year. Even though the order situation appears to have been gradually stabilizing at a low level in recent months, the future still looks uncertain from the current perspective. Member companies’ assessment of the markets is slightly less negative than it was, but a rapid recovery should not be expected in view of the persisting low level of global demand.
