On Monday afternoon the DAX drifted sluggishly. After a vague start that saw the index circle the zero line, it fell more clearly to 24,850 points by 12:30 pm, a 0.2 % drop from Friday’s close.
Market‑analyst Andreas Lipkow said investors were watching two key areas at the week’s start: movements in the precious‑metal markets and the upcoming earnings season, which is expected to pick up pace next week for the DAX’s heavyweight stocks. He also noted that the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting and further quarterly reports from major U.S. technology firms are on the agenda.
“In this environment, participants are likely to act defensively and wait to see how the facts unfold” Lipkow added, pointing out that only 15 companies are currently in the winners’ column on the index.
Banking names top the list of winners, supported by shares in Heidelberg Materials, Adidas and Eon.
The euro fell in the afternoon. One euro bought 1.1854 U.S. dollars, while one dollar was equivalent to 0.8436 euros.
Gold continued its strong rally, trading close to the all‑time high set earlier that morning. Early afternoon prices reached $5,092 per fine ounce, a rise of 2.2 %, equating to 138.11 euros per gram.
Oil edged higher. A barrel of Brent crude was priced at $66.07 at 12:30 pm-19 cents, or 0.3 %, above the previous day’s closing level.
