Companies in defensive sectors such as healthcare and food, including Nestlé, Roche, Novartis, Alcon, Lonza, make up more than half of the Swiss indices. Insurance stocks such as Swiss Life, Swiss Re, Zurich Insurance, Helvetia, Baloise together represent around 10%, and telecommunications a further 1%, including Swisscom and Sunrise.

The stability of the Swiss market does not rule out subtle and sometimes highly profitable shifts among lighter constituents.

Initial public offerings (IPOs) are relatively rare and, in recent years, have mostly involved highly specialised and smaller companies. By contrast, new listings via spin-offs have resulted in significant value creation.