FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - The Dax was able to reach the 21,500 point mark for the first time on Friday. About two and a half hours before the Xetra start, the broker IG estimated the leading German index to be a few points higher with a plus of a good 0.4 percent. The gain in the still young year would already swell to around eight percent.

The ongoing recovery rally on Wall Street, which took the broad market S&P 500 to a new record closing price since the beginning of December, is providing further impetus. It has gained around 6 percent in just under two weeks. The leading US index, the Dow Jones Industrial, is also dynamically approaching its high.

The start of the Trump presidency this week is driving share prices. Currently, his call for lower oil prices and interest rate cuts has made investors even more willing to take risks, according to Commerzbank./ag/zb