European stock markets experienced a slightly subdued start to the week, with the DAX opening lower on Monday morning. Around 9:30 AM local time, Germany’s benchmark index was calculated at approximately 24,270 points, representing a 0.4 percent decrease from Friday’s closing level. Leading gainers included RWE, Rheinmetall and Eon, while Hannover Rück, Heidelberg Materials and Commerzbank saw the most significant losses.
Market analysts noted that the recent meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin appeared to have had little immediate negative impact on investor sentiment. The continuation of dialogue was viewed positively, with attention now shifting to Monday’s scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Despite remaining within range of its recent record high, investor activity remained cautious. Trading volumes throughout the previous week consistently fell below the averages of the past 12, 24 and 36 months, suggesting a need for positive developments to spur increased buying.
Rising interest rates, with the yield on 30-year German government bonds reaching a 14-year high of 3.35 percent on Friday, have so far been absorbed by the market without significant disruption. However, analysts point out that this increase in long-term interest rates will eventually translate to higher financing costs for companies and potentially lower profits.
The Euro exhibited slight weakness, trading at 1.1701 US dollars, while the US dollar was valued at 0.8546 Euros.
Oil prices saw a marginal increase, with Brent crude futures trading at 65.92 US dollars per barrel around 9:00 AM German time, up 7 cents, or 0.1 percent, from the previous day’s close.