"For the first time since September 2022, the assessment of the situation by large Swedish companies is now above its historical average," the Swedish Central Bank writes in a press release.
"Before the summer, there were fears that the war in the Middle East would delay the recovery, but that concern has not been realised. Demand has strengthened and the cost increases from the war are considered manageable," adds the Swedish Central Bank.
The increased costs resulting from the war in the Middle East are being passed on through price increases to other companies, both in the near term and in the longer term, according to the Swedish Central Bank.
"However, prices are generally not planned to be increased more than normal," the bank writes in a press release.
The Swedish Central Bank regularly interviews Sweden's largest companies in industry, construction, trade and parts of the service sectors, as well as employer organisations.
Representatives of 40 companies, with a total of around 220,000 employees, were interviewed via visits, telephone or web-based services.
The interviews were mainly conducted during the period August 20-31, 2026.
The survey is published ahead of the Swedish Central Bank's interest rate decision on Thursday next week. The Executive Board is expected to leave the policy rate unchanged at 1.75 percent - despite the fact that many other central banks are currently expected to raise interest rates due to higher global inflationary pressures.
Source: Riksbank, Bloomberg
