After a weak start, the DAX pivoted into the green zone by mid‑day Tuesday. At approximately 12:30 p.m. local time it stood at roughly 23,630 points, up 0.3 % from the prior trading day. E.ON, RWE, and Hannover Re were the top performers, while Rheinmetall, Deutsche Bank, and Scout24 lagged at the bottom of the list.
Earlier, the Center for European Economic Research (ZEW) had reported a slump in medium‑term economic expectations among financial analysts and institutional investors-a result investors had likely anticipated in light of the Iran war.
Thomas Gitzel, chief economist at VP Bank, cited ZEW’s survey: “The Iran war and the ensuing rise in oil prices will leave substantial economic brake marks”. He added that the ZEW outlook also offers a first glimpse of potential aftershocks from the Middle‑East conflict. Companies’ own reactions remain to be seen, and the upcoming Ifo Business‑Climate Index and Purchasing Managers’ Index slated for release next week should provide further insight.
At mid‑day Tuesday, the euro slipped slightly ahead of the dollar: one euro fetched $1.1514, making a dollar worth €0.8685. Meanwhile, Brent crude oil climbed sharply, trading around $103.20 per barrel at 12 p.m. German time-an increase of 3.0 % over the previous day’s close.
