FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Recent news from the Middle East provided some relief to European equity markets on Wednesday. Brent crude prices slipped back below the 100 dollar mark following media reports that the U.S. had submitted a plan to Iran to end the conflict. Simultaneously, U.S. President Trump stated that Iran reportedly "desperately wants to make a deal."
Consequently, the Dax reclaimed the 23,000-point threshold in the opening minutes of trading, even as Iran's military leadership dismissed reports of negotiations to end the war this morning and issued a sharp rebuke of the U.S. administration. The Dax was last trading up 1.7 percent at 23,013 points.
Investors have become accustomed to conflicting signals. Following an ultimatum from the U.S. President over the weekend, the Dax had temporarily slumped on Monday to 21,863 points, its lowest level since April 2025. However, after a brief post by Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform on Monday afternoon regarding productive negotiations with the Iranian regime, the index surged to a peak of 23,178 points. On Tuesday, the Dax ultimately remained largely range-bound.
The MDax, which tracks medium-sized German companies, gained 2.4 percent on Wednesday to reach 28,808 points, while the Eurozone's benchmark EuroStoxx 50 index advanced by 1.5 percent./ag/nas
