The Dax moved into recovery mode as the week drew to a close. The German benchmark index, which had lost just over 5 percent since Monday, gained 0.7 percent on Friday to reach 23,989 points. A pullback in oil prices, following their sharp surge in recent days, gave the Dax some breathing room. However, analysts remain cautious: "Sentiment on the trading floor is currently changing rapidly," said Thomas Altmann of QC Partners. "Any piece of news can swing the mood in either direction within seconds."
Fears of long-term supply disruptions due to the war in the Middle East had driven up the price of North Sea Brent crude and US WTI oil by around 16 and 19 percent respectively this week. Investors are now hoping for measures from the US government to curb the surge in oil prices. On Friday, Brent and WTI quotations temporarily dropped by 2.6 and 3.4 percent respectively.
Among the biggest gainers in the Dax were shares of Rheinmetall and DHL, each rising by 1.8 percent. Lufthansa shares advanced by 3.3 percent in the MDax. After the crisis year of 2024, the airline has made progress in improving its profits. Adjusted operating earnings rose by 19 percent last year to €1.96 billion.
Lanxess, on the other hand, suffered a significant decline, with shares falling as much as 11.2 percent. On Thursday, the company announced that Advent would not take over all Lanxess shares tendered in September 2025 in the plastics joint venture Envalior this year.
(Report by: Daniela Pegna, edited by Ralf Banser. For questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).
