Jan-Egbert Sturm is the Director of the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich and one of Switzerland’s leading macroeconomists.

In this episode, we explore how Switzerland is navigating an increasingly unpredictable global economy. Jan-Egbert explains how resilient the Swiss economy really is, why Switzerland was hit so hard by recent US tariffs, and what early effects Swiss exporters are already seeing. We also break down the global debt landscape, why some countries can sustain extremely high debt while others cannot, and what rising debt levels mean for the Eurozone. Finally, we look at Switzerland’s long-term challenges, including a declining birth rate, an aging population, and whether the Swiss franc can become too strong for its own good.

CONTACT JAN-EGBERT

KOF Swiss Economic Institute

https://kof.ethz.ch

Magazine Subscription

https://kof.ethz.ch/en/publications/kof-bulletin.html

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janegbertsturm

https://howitticks.ch/contact-page/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Rule vs power-based global economy

04:00 Why Switzerland was hit by US tariffs

10:00 How Swiss companies are adapting

15:30 Weak spots in the Swiss economy

20:00 How global debt really works

27:00 Is the Swiss franc too strong?

33:00 Switzerland’s aging population and birth rate

Nora Loreto's news headlines for Thursday, September 11, 2025