On Thursday, the German benchmark index slipped, closing at 25,044 points by the end of the Xetra session-a 0.9 % decline from the previous day’s close. After an already tepid start, the DAX continued to lose ground.
“Today’s loss means the DAX had to surrender all of its gains from the last 24 hours and has restarted the battle for the 25,000‑point hurdle” said Andreas Lipkow, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. He blamed company earnings, citing Airbus in particular. “Airbus presented solid results, but its outlook for the current fiscal year failed to convince investors”. Lipkow noted that market sentiment in Frankfurt was generally not negative, yet trading remains dominated by widespread profit‑taking in individual stocks.
Lipkow also highlighted the mixed nature of U.S. economic data. The trade deficit finished at a swing‑back of 70.3 billion dollars-well below the expected 55.5 billion-and, in the context of U.S. trade protectionism, paints an unflattering picture. The Philadelphia Fed index rose more than anticipated, but should not be over‑valued in the broader view.
At the close, Rheinmetall and Scout 24 were the top performers, while Airbus shares finished at the bottom of the list.
Gas prices climbed, with March delivery rates reaching 33 euros per megawatt hour, a 5 % rise from the previous day. If this level persists, the consumer price-after taxes and fees-is estimated to be around 8‑10 cents per kilowatt hour.
Oil advanced notably. A barrel of North Sea Brent crude fetched 71.63 USD at about 17:00 CET, up 1.8 % from the prior closing price.
The euro weakened slightly in the afternoon. One euro traded at 1.1763 USD, while one U.S. dollar was worth 0.8501 euros.
