The DAX slipped into further negative territory by mid‑afternoon on Thursday, ending the day at around 24,610 points – a 0.9 % decline from the previous close. The drag was led by SAP, whose shares fell by more than 16 %, pulling the index deep into red territory. Other stocks largely hovered near the break‑even line or were slightly in the green.
Market analyst Andreas Lipkow noted that the expected impacts of mounting geopolitical tensions, soaring energy prices, and the strong euro against the dollar have dominated the trading session. “Only a broad base of positive corporate earnings could have softened the scenario” he said. “Now the large cap German company SAP, after its quarterly results, is under pressure and adds further downward pressure on the overall market”.
Lipkow added that today’s forthcoming U.S. macro‑economic data could potentially shift the markets. “The U.S. pre‑market is still trading at yesterday’s close level” he observed.
In currency markets, the euro weakened slightly by the afternoon: 1 € = 1.1948 USD, while 1 USD = 0.8370 €.
Gold performed well, trading at $5,515 per fine‑ounce in the afternoon – up 1.8 % from the previous day – equivalent to about €148.40 per gram.
Brent crude oil saw a noticeable rise. At around 12:00 CET, the North Sea Brent benchmark was priced at $69.74 per barrel, up 2.0 % from the close of the previous trading day.