German equities experienced an upward movement on Tuesday morning, primarily driven by advancements in the technology, financial, and retail sectors. The sentiment in the market appears optimistic after a report from the Washington Post indicated that the Trump administration is prepared to cease U.S. military operations against Iran, even in the event that the Strait of Hormuz remains predominantly closed. Today, EU energy ministers convene to deliberate on a unified approach to address the fluctuations in oil and gas markets instigated by the ongoing conflict in Iran.

The energy chief of the European Union advised member states to brace for a ‘prolonged disruption’ in energy markets stemming from the conflict in Iran, as communicated to ministers on Monday. In a letter addressed to energy ministers, the EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen stated that governments were ‘encouraged to make timely preparations in anticipation of a potentially prolonged disruption’. The benchmark DAX increased by 241.87 points, or 1.08%, reaching 22,738.77 just before noon.

• Rheinmetall experienced an increase of 2.75%.
• Deutsche Boerse, Zalando, Scout24, Adidas, MTU Aero Engines, Mercedes-Benz, SAP, Munich RE, RWE, Commerzbank, and Deutsche Bank experienced an increase of 1% to 1.5%.
• Bayer, Volkswagen, Deutsche Telekom, GEA Group, Allianz, Hannover RE, Henkel, and Infineon Technologies experienced upward movement.
• BASF experienced a decline of 0.8%. Fresenius and Siemens Energy recorded slight declines.

In economic news, data indicated that retail sales in Germany experienced a decline of 0.6% on a monthly basis in February, a deceleration compared to the 1.1% drop recorded in January. Sales were projected to increase by 0.3%. Year-over-year, retail sales growth decelerated to 0.7%, down from 1% in January. Sales were projected by economists to increase at a consistent rate of 1%. In nominal terms, retail sales experienced a decline of 0.7% from January, while reflecting an increase of 1.6% compared to the previous year. Data indicated that Germany’s import prices experienced a year-on-year decline of 2.3% in February, mirroring the rate of decrease observed in January. The 2.3% decline represents the most significant decrease since March 2024.

In the most recent month, import prices increased at a decelerated rate of 0.3%, following a rise of 1.1% in January. Moreover, the data indicated that export prices experienced a decline of 0.1% compared to the previous year, contrasting with the 0.2% increase observed in January. In a month-on-month comparison, export prices experienced a 0.1% rise, building on January’s 0.9% increase. Data indicated that annual inflation in the euro area increased to 2.5% in March 2026, rising from 1.9% in February and falling marginally short of market expectations of 2.6%, based on a preliminary estimate.