DAX edges up to 25,299 – US inflation stalls rally, defence and chemicals lead

Data as of: Xetra closing prices Wednesday, 14 October 2026; as of about 07:25 CEST on Thursday, 15 October

The DAX benchmark index (Germany's 40 largest listed companies) closed Wednesday 0.15% higher at 25,298.61 points on Xetra. At one point it had been up 0.75%; according to finanzen.net the intraday high was 25,448.73. The MDAX (mid-caps) gained 0.10% to 30,050.15 points. According to finanzen.net closing reports, the SDAX (smaller companies) rose 0.86% to 18,223.62 and the TecDAX (technology stocks) 0.18% to 3,995.81. The Euro Stoxx 50, the eurozone benchmark, added 0.38% to 6,190.37.

In the morning, strong Chinese trade data and a recovery in tech stocks lent support; ASML raised its outlook and closed 1.2% higher in Amsterdam. The turn came at 14:30: US consumer prices rose 3.7% year on year in September (August: 3.4%, forecast: 3.6%), driven mainly by expensive motor fuel. Investors now see further rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve as more likely. The euro briefly fell to 1.1114 dollars, its lowest level since May 2025.

Rheinmetall (+3.1%), MTU (+2.4%) and BASF (+2%) gained after the European Commission said it would apply certain climate rules for imported fossil fuels later than planned, sending the European gas price sharply lower. Lufthansa lost 2.1% after Portugal awarded it 44.9% of airline TAP (about €1.2 billion; the contract and EU approval are still pending). According to finanzen.net, Siemens Energy was the worst DAX performer (−5.4%); the reports reviewed gave no specific reason. In the SDAX, wind farm developer PNE plunged almost 20% after cutting its forecast, while Evotec rose 6.7% on quarterly figures.

No major German economic data are due on Thursday. In the US, retail sales, producer prices and jobless claims follow at 14:30. Chipmaker TSMC, Ericsson and Pernod Ricard also report results.