By mid‑afternoon on Friday, the DAX remained well in the red. At 12:30 p.m. local time the index was at 22,325 points, down 1.3 percent from the previous day’s close.
“Investors are growing tired of chasing the ever‑changing news from the Middle East” said Andreas Lipkow, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, at lunch. Because of that, they are concentrating more on the industries and sectors that feel the least impact from the conflict in Iran. The upcoming weekend could again unsettle the perceived calm in the war zone, and Lipkow added that reactions to the extension of the ultimatum are getting weaker and are being used for further selling.
Oil prices are rising again, with Brent crude trading around $107 a barrel. Safe‑haven assets such as gold and the U.S. dollar are in demand. The euro weakened in the afternoon, trading at approximately $1.1508 per euro, which means one U.S. dollar was worth about €0.8690.