The weak Swedish krona unlocks more favourable conditions and helps more than half of Sweden’s industrial companies to win export deals in foreign markets. This is one of the key findings of a new survey conducted by Business Sweden and Origo Group where 300 leading representatives from Sweden’s industrial companies took part.
The sectors that benefit the most all belong to Sweden’s basic industries including paper and pulp, steel and metal, and chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The upside of a weak krona is considerably smaller for sectors that depend on a large share of imported intermediate goods including companies in automotive and electrical equipment and electronics.
The results show that three-quarters of the companies are able to pass on the increased costs for intermediate goods and transport via price increases for foreign customers.
The survey also highlights the impacts of rising geopolitical tensions. Three-quarters of Sweden’s industrial companies state that the current geopolitical situation dominated by Russia's war aggression in Ukraine, the crisis in the Middle East, and US-China tensions, has a direct impact on their operations in foreign markets.
Download the report "The Krona, Prices, and Geopolitics" for a complete overview of the survey results.
About the survey
300 leading representatives – primarily CEOs, sales managers, business area managers or equivalent – from companies in various industrial sectors answered the survey questions via telephone interviews conducted from 25 April to 21 May 21, 2024.
The survey results are presented in diagram form in the report. Business Sweden uses a simple calculation model to rank industries based on which industries benefit the most from a weak krona.
The same model is used to show which ones have the greatest potential to raise their prices for foreign customers, as well as which industries are most affected by current geopolitical tensions. The calculation model is explained in the presentation of each diagram.
