The DAX 40 in Frankfurt pared earlier declines to finish slightly lower at 22,640 on Tuesday, as investors remained cautious amid ongoing uncertainty over the war in Iran and mixed signals about a possible resolution to the conflict. At the same time, flash PMI data for March indicated that the recent spike in energy prices is already weighing on global economies, dampening business activity and production while intensifying inflationary pressures. In Germany, private-sector growth slowed to a three-month low, with the services industry losing additional momentum.
On the corporate front, SAP was among the weakest performers, dropping around 4% after JPMorgan cut its rating from ‘Overweight’ to ‘Neutral’. Analyst Toby Ogg noted that the prospects for an acceleration in growth and margin expansion had deteriorated. Bayer slipped nearly 2% following reports that shareholder Inclusive Capital Partners may sell part of its stake. In contrast, chemical distributor Brenntag surged 7.6% after Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock from ‘Hold’ to ‘Buy’ and raised its price target from €46 to €57.
