On Tuesday the DAX gained. At the close of Xetra trading the index stood at 22,680 points, up 0.5 % from the previous day’s close. The index opened almost unchanged, rallied quickly, and finished in the green.
Chief market analyst Andreas Lipkow of CMC Markets commented that after weeks of uncertainty and fear over a never‑ending escalation spiral in the Middle East hope is returning to the Frankfurt trading floor that the war may be gradually approaching an end. He noted that Israeli claims of destroying more than half of military targets contrast with the energy markets’ view of a new Trump pivot to end the war even if the Strait of Hormuz remained blocked.
Lipkow said the DAX has embraced the optimistic interpretation of these statements and kept gaining momentum. Still, investor sentiment continues to swing between the fear of missing a relief rally and concerns of a new escalation. It is far from certain that the DAX has already seen the lows of this correction. He warned that should the U.S. ultimately deploy ground troops in Iran, despite ongoing cease‑fire talks, market dynamics could shift again and Europe would likely have no advantage.
Before the close, the stocks that led the performance in Frankfurt were MTU, followed by Rheinmetall, Adidas, Commerzbank and Deutsche Börse. The laggards were Symrise, Fresenius and FMC.
Gas prices fell: one megawatt‑hour of gas for April delivery cost €51, a drop of seven percent from the day before. That implies a consumer price of roughly ten to twelve cents per kilowatt‑hour (kWh), including ancillary costs and taxes, if the level were to remain stable.
Oil moved sharply higher: a barrel of Brent crude fetched US$118.80 on Tuesday afternoon at about 5 p.m. German time, a 5.4 % increase from the previous trading day’s close.
The euro also strengthened in the afternoon: one euro was worth US$1.1531, meaning one dollar was worth 0.8672 euros.