DAX seen slightly lower at the start of the week as US tech stocks weigh

Data as of: Xetra closing prices Friday, 16 October 2026, and weekly change; pre-market indication and calendar for Monday, 19 October (as of about 07:30 CEST; Xetra opens at 9:00)

The DAX benchmark index (Germany's 40 largest listed companies) rose 0.95% to 25,622.61 points on Friday. Broker IG indicated it about 0.2% lower at 25,576 points early on Monday (dpa-AFX report at 6:43), roughly two and a half hours before Xetra trading starts, dpa-AFX reported. Such an indication is only an estimate by off-exchange traders, not an exchange price.

The lead from New York is weak: the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed 2.14% lower on Friday, and according to dpa-AFX the Nasdaq 100 fell to its lowest level in four weeks. Investors doubt whether huge investments in artificial intelligence (AI) will pay off. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was down about 1% at times on Monday. China's economy grew 4.5% year on year in the third quarter, slightly faster than expected.

On Friday, defence and car stocks led the DAX. Rheinmetall rose 6.3%, while BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen gained between 2.8% and 3.5%. In the MDAX of mid-sized companies, Nordex jumped 12.3% after strong quarterly results. According to dpa-AFX, the DAX climbed up to its 50-day line, a closely watched moving average of prices; the record is 26,618 points from late August.

Monday itself is quiet: German manufacturing order backlog data for August are due at 8:00, and the US NAHB housing index in the afternoon. The 'Invest in Germany' summit with Chancellor Friedrich Merz begins in the evening. The rest of the week matters more, with the ZEW index and Deutsche Börse results on Tuesday, SAP on Wednesday and purchasing managers' indices on Friday.