AARAU - Machine builders around Baden, Brugg and Lenzburg said January order intake was thinner than a year earlier. Germany remains the first customer. When Stuttgart hesitates, Aargau notices before Bern publishes a forecast.
Two mid-sized firms told the cantonal chamber they had postponed a night shift until March. Apprentices were kept on. Temporary contracts were not renewed.
The franc in the workshop
Managers named the exchange rate before they named energy prices. The SNB's 0.5 percent rate is easy to explain. A strong franc against the euro is harder to invoice around.