Champagne Index Switzerland: Economic sentiment cools down
Marketagent’s Swiss Champagne Index indicates subdued economic sentiment. The level in the champagne glass fell from 68.3 percent in March 2025 to 62.7 percent in March 2026. Despite this slowdown, nearly 74 percent of the companies surveyed are optimistic about the future and would invest in their own businesses.
The economic mood in Switzerland has deteriorated. This is shown by the current Champagne Index Switzerland, published by Marketagent in April 2026. For the study, 103 companies were asked how full they would pour the champagne glass of the current economic situation. The result: the fill level is 62.7 percent - a drop of 5.6 percentage points compared to the previous year (68.3 percent).
Geopolitical tensions weigh on sentiment
Roland Zeindler, Managing Director of Marketagent Switzerland, puts the decline in context: «The decline is primarily a reflection of a challenging international environment. Geopolitical tensions, fragile supply chains, the interest rate and inflation environment and technological change are currently putting companies under pressure on several levels simultaneously. The somewhat more subdued mood should therefore be read less as a slump and more as a normalization following the more optimistic expectations of previous years.»
Compared to Austria, however, Switzerland is much more optimistic: while Swiss companies would fill the glass 62.7 percent of the time, the figure in Austria is only 46.7 percent.
Cautious expectations for the next twelve months
When asked about the most suitable drink for the overall economic development of the next twelve months, only 9.7% of respondents chose champagne - significantly less than in the previous year (12%). The majority opted for sparkling wine or wine (39.8%) and fruit juice (31.1%). As many as 12.6% opted for still water and 6.8% for vodka - they want to forget.
Despite the subdued overall mood, many companies are self-confident: 16.5% see themselves in the competitive arena, where they set the tone. A further 24.3% place themselves in the VIP box and are among the best. A total of 25.2% play in the front row in front of the stage.
Majority would invest in their own company
A strong signal of confidence in their own performance: 73.8% of respondents would buy shares in their own company - with 35.9% «definitely» doing so. In the previous year, this figure was 82%. In terms of performance expectations for the next twelve months, 49.5% gave a rating of between 61 and 80 points on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 corresponding to an Oscar.
The study also shows that decisions are made in Swiss companies at an average speed of 171 kilometers per hour - slightly slower than in the previous year (177 km/h). The quality of these decisions is rated by 68 percent with four or five stars in a fictitious Google review.
Michelle Obama as advisor of choice
When asked which personality the respondents would include on an advisory board, Michelle Obama was the clear leader with 30.1%, ahead of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos (8.7% each). The Dalai Lama follows with 7.8 percent, Carsten Maschmeyer and Elon Musk achieve 6.8 percent and 4.9 percent respectively.
For the Champagne Index Switzerland, Marketagent surveyed a total of 103 companies via online interviews between December 31, 2025 and March 25, 2026. The sample covers various industries and company sizes, with 62.1% coming from the service sector. 33 percent of respondents work in large companies or groups with 250 or more employees.
