FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Vague hopes for a possible ceasefire in Ukraine have lifted the DAX to another record high after its record high at the start of the week on Tuesday. The leading index briefly rose above the 24,000-point mark at the start of trading and was last up 0.1 percent at 23,955 points. The MDax also gained 0.1 percent to 30,159 points. The Eurozone's leading index, the EuroStoxx 50, rose by 0.2 percent.
After his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump announced immediate negotiations in the Vatican on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. If the talks actually lead to a breakthrough, this would remove a long-standing factor of uncertainty from the market, commented analyst Thomas Altmann of QC Partners.
Other experts, such as LBBW analyst Uwe Streich, are more skeptical. "Trump's phone call with Putin is turning into a farce," he wrote in a commentary. Putin continues to reject a ceasefire. Nevertheless, Trump described the two-hour phone call with the Russian prime minister as "excellent."/edh/jha/
