-- German equities kicked off the new trading week lower, with the blue-chip DAX index down 0.19% on Monday's close, as markets await interest rate decisions from major central banks due within the week.
The US Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest monetary policy move on Wednesday, while the decisions from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England are due Thursday.
At home, German consumer sentiment appears to have deteriorated further, with the GfK consumer climate indicator for May 2026 dropping to -33.3 points from the revised -28.1 points a month ago, weighed down by falling income and economic expectations. The reading marks the indicator's lowest level since February 2023 and stands below the Investing.com consensus estimate of -30.2 points.
"The inflation rate in Germany rose from 1.9 percent to 2.7 percent in March due to rising energy prices caused by the war in Iran, leading the majority of consumers to once again expect price increases. Although the indicator for price expectations rose somewhat less sharply in April than in March- likely due to falling prices at the filling stations, the indicator's level has risen compared to the beginning of the year," the NIM Consumer Climate powered by GfK survey said.
Meanwhile, the export outlook in Germany slightly improved as positive expectations roughly offset negative ones amid a high level of geopolitical uncertainty. The ifo Institute's export expectations indicator increased to 0.1 points in April from the previous month's -0.7 points.
In corporate news, German officials held informal preliminary talks with European banks to explore the possibility of a new strategic investor purchasing a stake or taking over Commerzbank (CBK.F), unnamed sources reportedly told Bloomberg News. The German government, which holds a 12% stake in Commerzbank, is said to be looking at alternatives to a potential takeover by Italian lender UniCredit, which submitted its offer earlier in 2026. Commerzbank's shares were up 2.39% at closing.