Annual Report 2015 (KOF Swiss Economic Institute)

As a centre of applied economic research and policy advice for the Swiss economy, we keep our finger on the pulse of the economy. We take up economically and socially relevant policy and research questions, use our academic competence to find and present politically independent solutions for these, and foster the exchange of ideas amongst economists and a wider audience. One of the events in 2015 that led to a higher pulse of the Swiss public was the suspension of the minimum exchange rate on 15 January 2015. We addressed the issues related to this event. We presented an adjusted forecast, published a special survey on the effects of exchange rate shocks on Swiss companies and another one based on the monthly KOF Business Tendency Surveys. Early in the year, we addressed a topic which has become a particular concern for the Swiss society and economy: the economic consequences of a possible end to the bilateral agreements with the EU due to the Anti-Mass Immigration Initiative. We carried out an extensive study about the economic effects of the bilateral agreements from different angles, finding mainly positive economic effects.