Weak economic data from China caused caution among investors on Europe’s stock exchanges on Wednesday. The Dax was listed in the afternoon 0.2 percent lower at 15,685 points. “The Chinese economic data for August were a big disappointment,” said Commerzbank economist Hao Zhou. Industrial production and retail sales grew more weakly than they have been for around a year. In view of the regional closings due to renewed corona infections, domestic demand in China in particular was weak, said Zhou. In the Dax, the papers of Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) continued their downward slide. The shares of the dialysis specialist posted a minus of 2.8 percent at the end of the Dax. Shares in the FMC parent company Fresenius fell 1.8 percent. Last week, negative analyst comments had put FMC under further pressure, and now DZ Bank has removed the papers from its “Equity Ideas” shortlist. Since the beginning of the year, the shares have lost around twelve percent of their value.
Disappointed hopes of some investors put the papers of Varta, which presented themselves with a discount of 3.5 percent as the weakest M-Dax value. The technology group Apple had not announced any new wireless headphones when they launched their product, for which Varta has been known as a supplier of button cells. The soon-to-be DAX member Brenntag did not get sustainable support from a forecast that was raised again. The chemicals trader’s papers turned after initial gains in the red with 0.9 percent most recently. In the S-Dax, Zooplus shares fell 2.5 percent after the US financial investor KKR left the takeover talks. However, the shares are still trading well above the only public offer so far. The financial investor Hellman & Friedman had increased its offer to 460 euros per share.
On the US stock exchanges, however, investors took hold of stocks. Of the Dow Jones was 0.3 percent higher after the start of trading. Microsoft shares rose 1.3 percent. The software company has announced a billion-dollar share buyback. Up to 60 billion dollars are to be used for this.