German Shares Climb as US-Iran Peace Talks Advance
German equities closed Monday's trade in the green, with the blue-chip DAX index gaining 0.66%, as the US and Iran move forward with peace negotiations.The two countries concluded their initial round of mediated talks in Switzerland, facilitated by Pakistan and Qatar, agreeing to a 60-day roadmap aimed at achieving a final deal. The sides also discussed measures such as a direct communication line to protect commercial maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz and a mechanism to end military operations in Lebanon."This marks a notable shift from Saturday's confusion, when Iran suggested the strait was now closed again after Israeli attacks in Lebanon, and briefly stepped back from talks following renewed threats from President Trump," Deutsche Bank Research said, noting that oil flows through Hormuz continued and even increased over the weekend, helping calm markets.Market watchers are also awaiting key economic updates for the week, including June flash PMIs for Germany and other major European economies due on Tuesday, followed by Germany's ifo business climate survey on Wednesday and the latest GfK consumer confidence data on Thursday.On the corporate front, Infineon Technologies (IFX.F) climbed 4.84% as BofA Global Research maintained its buy rating and price objective of 108 euros, saying the July opening of the fabrication plant in Dresden, Germany, secures the infrastructure required for the artificial intelligence-related power demand."The fab marks the largest single investment in Infineon's history, following the company's 2022 announcement of a EUR5bn investment into the site's power semiconductor and analog/mixed-signal capacity. Its opening comes at a critical point, as Infineon remains capacity constrained in AI power. Dresden, alongside incremental capacity from Villach, Kulim and redeployed IGBT comfortably underpins our EUR3.9/EUR5.9bn DC/AI revenue forecast in 27/28E, driving mix to 20%/25% of group sales (vs. 8% in '25)," BofA said.Meanwhile, German infrastructure group Hochtief (HOT.F) joined the blue-chip DAX index today, replacing Porsche Automobil Holding (PAH3.F), d/b/a Porsche SE. The holding company transitioned to the mid-cap MDAX following an index reshuffle announced in early June. Hochtief rose 3.13%, while Porsche SE was down 1.08% on Xetra.
