The Frankfurt‑based DAX fell 0.13% to finish at 25,374.42 points on Monday, marking its first decline of the session after a late‑day slide linked to weakness in US equity markets. The index held above its 100‑day moving average, a level analysts consider important for the medium‑ to long‑term trend.
The MDAX of mid‑cap stocks slipped 0.44% to 30,895.59 points. CMC Markets chief market analyst Andreas Lipkow said investors were “clinging to the diplomatic straw” amid a “rather gloomy backdrop,” noting that oil and gold prices act as seismographs for Middle‑East tensions.
Rising oil prices and higher bond yields also weighed on sentiment, while the AI sector lost its usual market‑support cushion. Concerns over hyperscaler Oracle’s financing of AI data‑center investments and a pause in OpenAI’s model training added to the pressure, prompting analysts to reassess growth and monetisation assumptions for AI firms.
In the US, Axios reported that indirect talks between Washington and Tehran were expected to continue, keeping market sentiment vulnerable to any negative news from the region.
On the corporate front, German chemical group Evonik gained 2.4% after the Financial Times reported that the company rejected a takeover approach from rival Ludwigshafen‑based BASF, whose shares fell 0.3%. Laboratory services provider Sartorius rose 2% as Bank of America analyst Charlie Haywood warned that consensus forecasts may under‑estimate the impact of customs refunds on the upcoming quarter.
Industrial gear maker Renk dropped 2.4% following a JPMorgan comment that its third‑quarter operating result could be disappointing. In the small‑cap SDAX, online pharmacy Redcare Pharmacy surged 12.7% after raising its 2026 sales outlook, while sugar producer Südzucker added 3.1% despite a modest upward revision to its 2026/27 operating outlook.
The Euro Stoxx 50 was essentially flat, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost about 0.7% and the tech‑heavy Nasdaq 100 fell roughly twice as much, closing down around 1.4% at the European close.
