DAX Edges Higher Ahead of Fed Decision
Frankfurt’s DAX 40 rose 0.3% to 24,975 points on Wednesday, with investors positioning ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s policy decision later today and watching closely for any clues on the timing of future rate cuts. Technology stocks led the advance. Infineon jumped more than 5% to top the index, while Siemens added around 1%, supported by ASML’s stronger-than-expected earnings report. Meanwhile, markets also weighed comments from ECB policymaker Martin Kocher, who warned that further euro strength could push the central bank to resume interest rate cuts. Elsewhere, investors continued to assess the potential impact of the EU–India trade deal, with automakers and companies tied to chemicals and electrical machinery seen as the likely main beneficiaries.
FTSE 100 Edges Up on Wednesday
The FTSE 100 traded slightly higher on Wednesday after a 0.6% gain in the previous session, driven by mining and energy stocks. Precious metals miners led gains as gold and silver hit fresh record highs, with Endeavour up about 4% and Fresnillo rising around 2%, while broader miners also advanced, including Anglo American up nearly 3%, Antofagasta higher by about 1.5%, and Glencore and Rio Tinto up roughly 0.5%. Energy stocks supported the index, with Shell and BP each gaining more than 1% as oil prices firmed. On the downside, healthcare stocks weighed, with AstraZeneca down about 1.1% and GlaxoSmithKline lower by 1.6%. Among individual names, Burberry fell more than 1% following disappointing results from luxury sector peer LVMH.
