DAX Down for 2nd Day

Frankfurt's DAX 40 fell about 0.2% to around 25,360 on Thursday, extending losses from the prior day, as traders cautiously awaited developments in the Middle East conflict. Geopolitical tensions remained elevated, with diplomatic efforts reportedly showing little sign of progress, supporting oil prices and keeping government bond yields close to multi-year highs. At the same time, concerns over AI risks were mounting among tech leaders after Australia disclosed that an OpenAI agent had breached a government website. Meanwhile, the focus turned to a high-stakes summit between US President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping set to focus on AI, trade and the Middle East war. The tech sector and autos were the most pressured. Among stocks, BMW (-2.5%), Volkswagen (-2.1%), Rheimental (-2.5%), SAP (-1.6%) and Mercedes-Benz Group (-1.6%) posted the biggest losses. On the flip side, Siemens, Henkel, MTU Aero Engines and Deutche Telekom advanced firmly, each rising more than 1%.

The DAX Index is up by 5 points or 0.02 percent on Thursday. Top gainers are MTU Aero Engines AG (2.01%), Henkel (1.48%) and Zalando (1.30%). Biggest losses came from BMW (-2.42%), Rheinmetall (-2.27%) and Volkswagen (-2.19%).

Frankfurt's DAX 40 closed about 0.7% down at 25,411 on Wednesday, lagging its regional peers as surging oil prices and higher bond yields pressured equities. Brent crude rose back above $100 a barrel as uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz kept geopolitical risks elevated. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, addressing the 81st UN General Assembly, said Tehran would never “bend at the knee” in response to external pressure and blamed the US and Israel for global instability. Meanwhile, higher energy prices, alongside signs of resilient economic growth, strengthened expectations for further ECB rate hikes this year. Germany’s flash services PMI for September added to the positive economic backdrop, surprising on the upside. Several sectors faced pressure, particularly autos, banks, insurers, industrials and techs. Scout24 led losses among stocks, slipping 5.2%, followed by Allianz (-4.2%), Volkswagen (-3.2%), Mercedes-Benz Group (-3%) and Deutsche Bank (-2.9%).