German equities displayed a muted performance at the start of the trading week. The benchmark index closed marginally higher, reaching 23,745 points, representing a slight increase from the previous day’s closing value. Following an initially positive open, the index briefly dipped into negative territory during the early afternoon before rebounding to finish in positive territory just before the market’s closure.
Market analyst Andreas Lipkow characterized the trading activity as “calm and thin” noting the absence of fresh catalysts to propel the index towards the 24,000-point level. Investor focus remains primarily on technology and automotive stocks.
Throughout the trading session, shares in Bayer and Rheinmetall led the gainers, while Commerzbank and Heidelberg Materials experienced declines.
Energy prices saw notable movement. Natural gas for October delivery dropped to €32 per megawatt-hour (MWh), a decrease of two percent compared to the prior day. This reduction suggests consumer prices could settle at approximately eight to ten cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), contingent on sustained price stability.
Oil prices also registered a significant decline, with Brent crude falling to $67.87 per barrel – a decrease of 3.2 percent from the end of the previous trading day.
The euro strengthened against the US dollar, trading at $1.1731, with one dollar fetching €0.8524.
