FX.co ★ DAX Cautiously Higher

The DAX 40 inched higher to around 24,230 on Thursday after a cautious start, as investors weighed the latest developments in the Middle East ahead of the European Central Bank’s policy decision. The US military announced it had completed a series of strikes in Iran, targeting several Iranian defensive positions over the course of several hours. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the operation as “an act of coercive diplomacy” intended to break the deadlock in ongoing negotiations. Oil prices declined on renewed hopes for a resolution to the conflict. Sector-wise, gains among energy-sensitive industrials, chemical companies, and technology stocks more than offset notable losses in software and telecommunications shares.