
The DAX 40 rose 0.7% to surpass 26,480 on Friday, setting fresh record highs and outperforming its European peers. Solid corporate earnings and easing inflation concerns kept market sentiment supported, despite ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East. Efforts to resolve the US-Iran conflict remained stalled amid continued attacks, while Washington threatened unprecedented economic measures against Tehran next week. Among individual stocks, heavyweight SAP climbed 4.8%, making it the top performer. Other notable gainers included Rheinmetall (4.1%), Scout24 (3.3%), Hannover Ruck (1.9%) and MTU Aero Engines (1.7%). On the downside, E.ON (-3%), Hochtief (-2%), RWE (-1.9%), Deutsche Post (-1.5%) and Infineon Technologies (-0.8%) posted the biggest declines. For the week, the index was set to rise about 0.6%
FTSE 100 Set to End Week Lower
The FTSE 100 traded slightly lower on Friday, extending its losses for a fifth consecutive session, as weakness across mining and pharmaceutical stocks weighed on the index. Lower industrial metal prices pressured miners, with Antofagasta falling more than 4%, while Glencore, Endeavour and Fresnillo each declined by more than 2%. Anglo American also dropped around 1.8%. Pharmaceutical stocks were similarly weak, with AstraZeneca and GSK both losing more than 1%. The declines came despite a relatively stronger performance from energy stocks, with Shell and BP trading slightly higher as oil prices remained supported. Aviva also edged up after the insurer reported a 24% increase in first-half profit compared with the previous year. The company said it remained on track to meet its three-year group targets, providing some support to its shares. For the week, the UK index was down around 1.4%.






