FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

DAX Index Blinks Red; German Economic Sentiment Improves

By

German equities fell on Tuesday, with the blue-chip DAX index ending the trading session 0.71% in the red, as the market digested the latest economic sentiment survey for the eurozone's biggest economy and updates regarding the US-Iran conflict.

The ZEW economic sentiment indicator for Germany increased to 34.2 points in August from the previous 26.3 points, beating the consensus forecast of 30.1 points. The current situation index also rose by 16.5 points to -61.1 points, ahead of the expected -68.8 points.

"The positive trend in expectations further consolidates in August, likely due to the good quarterly results and the recent high level in exports. The German economy continues to benefit from the federal government's infrastructure programmes although the record low water levels on the Rhine River present an additional acute risk affecting economic activity," ZEW President Achim Wambach said.

On the geopolitical front, Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Tehran intends to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the US fulfills the conditions of the June interim deal, including lifting port blockades, removing oil sanctions, and ending military threats and operations. Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed senior Iranian official, that Iran is transitioning to a "fully offensive" military posture as permanent peace talks remain stalled.

For his part, US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric with threats to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of American objectives. Iran and Oman are negotiating an agreement to oversee commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

In corporate news, Hugo Boss (BOSS.F) was down 0.21% on Xetra as British sports and luxury retailer Frasers Group raised its total stake in the German fashion group to 47.89% after securing acceptances for 17.62% of Hugo Boss' share capital under its ongoing takeover bid.

"The takeover offer may have dominated the investment case in recent months, but its expiry puts operational delivery back at center stage. Initial progress is encouraging, but further upside requires tangible evidence that the 'Claim 5 Touchdown' strategy can improve business quality, margins and growth. We maintain our [price target] and rating (HOLD, EUR 38.00)," mwb Research said.

Related Articles

Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Slide After Trump's Threats to Bomb Oman Lifts Crude Oil, 30-Year Treasury Yield Touches 19-Year High

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes fell after President Donald Trump warned of attacks against Oman on the day a deadline to reach a permanent peace deal with Iran expired, and as the 30-year US government bond yield jumped to the highest in more than 19 years.The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3% to 26,644.91, the S&P 500 declined 0.5% to 7,745.06, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.5% to 53,459.78 on Monday. All sectors except energy retreated, led by declines in communication services, consumer staples, financials and consumer discretionary. Technology was one of the outperformers.Monday marks 60 days since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that called for a wider peace deal to be negotiated within that timeframe, CBS NEWS reported. On the same day, Trump threatened to bomb Oman if the country "gets in the way" of US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war with Iran, CBS cited Fox News.Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran had reached an agreement with Oman regarding future shipping routes in the strait, according to the CBS report. That being said, Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to secure a permanent end to its war with the United States, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told state television on Sunday night that his forces were ready to take whatever action is needed to defend the country, according to a report from Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster.Crude oil futures jumped, with the front-month US West Texas Intermediate contract up 3% to $84.90 per barrel and global benchmark North Sea Brent rising 2.8% to $91.02 per barrel.Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 30-year surging 4.3 basis points to 5.31%, the highest since 2002. The 10-year yield climbed 2.8 basis points to 4.72%, and the two-year climbed 1.3 basis points to 4.18%.Gold futures advanced 0.8% to $4,472.1, and silver futures jumped 1.2% to $65.92.While equity indices are trading close to all-time highs, there is evidence that "challenging" August crosswinds are playing out in bond markets, according to a note from Deutsche Bank. "Expectations for an imminent Fed rate hike have been pulled back, but this has been accompanied by a significant US curve steepening, with the backdrop of higher oil prices, elevated fiscal deficits, and demand for capital from the AI investment boom putting upward pressure on yields."In economic news, the National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index rose to 35 in August from 34 in July, compared with expectations for a decline to 33 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The index was above 32 a year earlier.The New York Federal Reserve's Empire State manufacturing index rose to 20.6 in August from 15.6 in July, compared with an expected decrease to 10.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The Empire State index is the first manufacturing sector reading for August and suggests expansion is picking up pace.In company news, Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic informed potential investors that Q2 revenue increased at least 14-fold from a year earlier to over $11.5 billion, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing documents.Among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion each, eight of the top 10 by Monday's returns were in the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Of those eight firms, five were related to the semiconductor industry. Sandisk (SNDK) led the pack, with an 8.9% gain.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMZN$SNDK
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Fall, US Equities Mixed After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV edged lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) added 0.1%.US equity indexes traded mixed, as speculation about Anthropic's Q2 sales propped up technology and President Donald Trump warned Oman of attacks on the day a deadline to reach a permanent peace deal with Iran expired.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each rose about 0.6%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 0.6%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also advanced.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) added 2.3%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) was up 2.5%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) eased 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) declined 1.4%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), advanced 1.2%.CommoditiesCrude oil rose 0.5%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) added 1.2%. Natural gas shed 1.6%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was down 1.2%.Gold on Comex added 1%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was up 1.1%. Silver gained 2.1%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was up 2.5%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) was down 1.4%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) fell 1.1%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) eased 1.4%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was down 1.1%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) fell 0.8%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) shed 1.3%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) added 0.1%. iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) edged higher as well. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) climbed 1.8%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) added 0.5%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also slightly higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) advanced 1.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) added 1.8%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was up 1.7%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was up 1.3%.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as Tech Gains Lift Nasdaq, Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman as Iran Peace Deal Deadline Expires

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed, as speculation about Anthropic's Q2 sales propped up technology and President Donald Trump warned Oman of attacks on the day a deadline to reach a permanent peace deal with Iran expired.The Nasdaq Composite was little changed at 26,718.2 after midday Monday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 7,770.7, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.4% to 53,545.8.Amazon-backed (AMZN) Anthropic informed potential investors that Q2 revenue increased at least 14-fold from a year earlier to over $11.5 billion, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing documents.Among companies with market capitalizations exceeding $200 billion each, seven of the top 10 by intraday returns were in the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Of those seven firms, five were related to the semiconductor industry. Sandisk (SNDK) led the pack, with a 9.1% gain.Monday marks 60 days since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that called for a wider peace deal to be negotiated within that timeframe, CBS NEWS reported. On the same day, Trump threatened to bomb Oman if the country "gets in the way" of US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war with Iran, CBS cited Fox News.Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran had reached an agreement with Oman regarding future shipping routes in the strait, according to the CBS report. That being said, Iran has decided to shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the United States, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract rose 0.1% to $82.51 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent edged up 0.4% to $88.86 per barrel.The National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index rose to 35 in August from 34 in July, compared with expectations for a decline to 33 in a Bloomberg-compiled poll. The index was above 32 a year earlier.The New York Federal Reserve's Empire State manufacturing index rose to 20.6 in August from 15.6 in July, compared with an expected decrease to 10.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The Empire State index is the first manufacturing sector reading for August and suggests expansion is picking up pace.US Treasury yields traded mixed, with the 10-year yield up a basis point to 4.71% while the two-year slipped one basis point to 4.17%.Gold futures advanced 1% to $4,481.2, and silver futures jumped 2.1% to $66.51.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$AMZN$SNDK