Hopes of a de-escalation in the Ukraine war boosted stock markets on Wednesday. the dax rose by 3.2 percent to 14,375 points by the afternoon. A trader said the ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine were showing positive signs. Thomas Altmann, portfolio manager at asset manager QC Partners, explained: “On the stock exchanges, the hope for peace currently outweighs the fear of a further escalation.” The prospect of measures to support the economy in China also provided additional positive impetus. China’s Vice Premier Liu He announced the government would take steps to boost capital markets and boost economic growth.
Investors were also looking forward to the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, which was expected to be made in the evening after the close of markets in Europe. In view of the recently very high inflation, stockbrokers expected an increase in the key interest rate to a range of 0.25 to 0.50 percent. In the case of the individual values in the Dax, the share of the recipe box sender Hello-Fresh, which was badly hit this year, rose to the top of the Dax with a plus of 9.8 percent. The titles of the software developer Nagarro also shone in the S-Dax with a premium of almost nine percent after surprisingly strong preliminary business figures. In contrast, the shares of the energy company Eon remained behind the general upward trend with slight discounts. With regard to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Eon pointed out the high level of uncertainty in assessing the consequences for business development, the Jefferies analysts stated.
On the other hand, car values were very popular in view of the price declines on the oil markets. The supplier Continental was up 4.5 percent. BMW shares rose by 2.3 percent after the presentation of final figures and a first outlook for the year.
It was in New York Dow Jones 1.3 percent higher an hour after the start of trading. Stocks of Chinese companies listed in the US, such as Alibaba, JD.com and Baidu, stood out with price premiums of up to 28 percent. They benefited from the prospect of economic stimulus packages from the Chinese government.