By midday on Friday, the DAX remained firmly in the negative. At 12:30 p.m., the index was at 22,325 points, down 1.3 percent from the previous day’s close.
According to Andreas Lipkow, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, investors are growing weary of chasing the constantly shifting news from the Middle East. Because of this, they are increasingly focusing on the sectors least affected by the conflict in Iran. Lipkow also warned that the upcoming weekend still carries the potential to disrupt what seems to be calm in the war zone, saying that reactions to the extension of the ultimatum are becoming weaker and are being used to feed further sell‑offs.
Oil prices have begun to climb again, with Brent crude trading around $107 a barrel. As investors seek safe havens, gold and the U.S. dollar have attracted interest. Accordingly, the euro weakened on Friday afternoon: one euro was worth $1.1508, and one dollar was worth 0.8690 euros.
