The Dax gained 0.3 percent on Thursday morning and reached a new record high of 18,017.30 points. On Wednesday, it broke through the 18,000-point mark for the first time. The stock markets are currently being driven by speculation about falling interest rates on both sides of the Atlantic and bubbling corporate profits.

The spotlight on Thursday will be on US producer prices, which should provide more insight into inflation in the USA. Surprisingly higher consumer prices have not knocked the stock markets off their stride recently, but have somewhat dampened expectations of a first interest rate cut by the Fed in June.

Rheinmetall moved to the top of the Dax with a gain of 3.6 percent. The armaments group expects a sustained rise in sales and profits as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the armament of NATO states. K+S shares gained more than five percent. Although the fertilizer and salt producer is expecting losses in 2024 following a slump in profits, it performed better than the market had feared. Investors in the SDax cheered Borussia Dortmund's progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The shares of the Black and Yellows gained 2.8 percent.

(Report by Anika Ross, edited by Christian Rüttger. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)