Despite failed peace efforts in the US-Iran conflict, the Dax remained stable at the start of the week. The German benchmark index opened slightly lower on Monday at 24,333.31 points. US President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal for peace talks to end the war on Sunday. Oil prices, which had fallen by around 6.5 percent last week, advanced again by approximately 3.5 percent.

'Investors are now hoping that US President Donald Trump's visit to China could bring momentum to the recently stalled diplomatic process', explains Jochen Stanzl, chief analyst at Consorsbank. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting in Beijing this week and will discuss a range of issues, according to US officials. The US President is urging China to use its influence over Tehran to end the conflict.

In terms of individual stocks, the focus was primarily on corporate balance sheets and forecasts. Shares in Stabilus, Hypoport, GEA Group, and Aurubis were in demand following well-received financial results, gaining between one and five percent. Conversely, Adesso, Hannover Rueck, TKMS, and Patrizia fell by around 1.5 to four percent.

(Report by Sanne Schimanski. Edited by Hans Busemann. For inquiries, please contact our editorial office at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economics) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)