FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - After slight losses in the middle of the week, the Dax found its way back onto the road to recovery on Thursday. However, there was still a lack of directional impulses as the stock exchanges in the USA were closed for a holiday the previous day. In Asia, the trend was slightly downwards this morning.

There is also no trend-setting economic data on the agenda. At best, the interest rate signals from the UK and Switzerland are likely to be interesting. A decision on key interest rates will also be made in Norway. A number of representatives from the US central bank, the Fed, are due to speak during the course of the day.

In the first few minutes of trading, Germany's leading index rose by 0.47 percent to 18,152.81 points, once again moving away from the 18,000-point mark. The DAX had temporarily fallen below this level on Friday, but found a foothold at the 100-day line, which is closely watched by investors interested in chart technology. It is currently regarded as an important medium-term trend indicator for the stock market barometer. The Dax reached its high for the week so far on Tuesday at 18,214 points.

The MDax, which includes mid-caps, rose by 0.27 percent to 25,541.10 points on Thursday. The EuroStoxx 50, the leading index for the eurozone, gained 0.38 percent to 4904.10 points./ck/mis