DAX set for a soft open, European markets remain in focus
We examine the German benchmark’s recent performance, what’s driven that performance, and where futures suggest the DAX will open on Thursday.
European markets choppy following 750 billion deal
The German benchmark came off slightly on Wednesday, even as US markets rallied, with the DAX dipping 0.51%, or 67 points, to finish out the session at the 13,104 point level.
On a more granular level, the best performing German equities were BASF, Fresenius, and Deutsche Borse; while the worst performing were Bayer, Merck and Continental.
Mind you, over the last five sessions the DAX has risen strongly, up close to 2%, following news on Tuesday that leaders from the European Union had approved a €750 billion coronavirus stimulus package, aimed at helping countries recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The deal, which has been in the works since May – will be made up of €390 billion of grants and €360 billion in loans.
European markets rallied modestly on Tuesday off the back of that news, with the German DAX rising 0.99%, the Italian FTSE MIB gaining 0.49%, while the French CAC eked out a gain of 0.22%.
DAX futures in focus
Speaking of these market moves, IG market analyst Kyle Rodda today said:
‘A high degree of focus remains on European markets currently, as traders continue to digest the implications of the EU’s new recovery fund. European stocks faded overnight, in what was a relatively light session in the continent’s markets.’
Elsewhere, Mr Rodda noted that ‘A rallying Euro appears to be creating a small headwind for European equities in the short-term.’
The euro (EUR/USD) has indeed rallied strongly over the last five days, up from 1.14 to 1.16 in that period. In the last three months the key European currency pair is up 6.91%.
At the time of writing, DAX futures were trading up 0.21% or 28 points, suggesting that the blue-chip German benchmark would open higher on Thursday, 23 July.
US markets rise, Tesla steals the show
Though European markets have proven choppy over the last few sessions, US markets, in particular the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, continue to rally strongly, even as US coronavirus cases continue to grow at an alarming rate.
On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.62%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.57% while the Nasdaq added 0.24%.
Large-cap and often controversial automaker Tesla saw its share price bid higher on Wednesday after releasing its second quarter (Q2) results to the market. Here, Tesla reported total revenues of US$6,036 million, against total gross profits of US$1,267 million, on a GAAP gross margin of 21.0%.
Tesla was up 4.06% in after-hours trade on Wednesday.
At the time of writing US futures were all trading up.
Want to take a position in US or German equities, long or short?
Create an IG trading account or log in to your existing account to get started now.
This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.
CFDs are a leveraged products. CFD trading may not be suitable for everyone and can result in losses that exceed your initial deposit, so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved.
Act on stock opportunities today
Go long or short on thousands of international stocks with CFDs.
- Get full exposure for a comparatively small deposit
- Trade on spreads from just 0.1%
- Get greater order book visibility with direct market access
See opportunity on a stock?
Try a risk-free trade in your demo account, and see whether you’re on to something.
- Log in to your demo
- Try a risk-free trade
- See whether your hunch pays off
See opportunity on a stock?
Don’t miss your chance – upgrade to a live account to take advantage.
- Trade a huge range of popular stocks
- Analyse and deal seamlessly on fast, intuitive charts
- See and react to breaking news in-platform
See opportunity on a stock?
Don’t miss your chance. Log in to take advantage while conditions prevail.
Live prices on most popular markets
- Forex
- Shares
- Indices
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
