German stocks experienced a decline on Tuesday, influenced by diminishing expectations for a resolution to the Middle East conflict and increasing crude oil prices. Data indicating a rise in Germany’s consumer price inflation for the month of April was also detrimental. U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that the tenuous ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was on ‘massive life support,’ casting new uncertainties on the prospects for a durable peace agreement. Brent crude futures increased to $107.60 per barrel, reflecting an approximate 3% rise. The benchmark DAX, which experienced a decline to 24,012.48 earlier in the session, was down 197.55 points or 0.81% at 24,158.86 recently.

• Gea Group shares experienced a decline exceeding 6%, while Rheinmetall saw a reduction of approximately 4.4%.
• Munich RE experienced a decline of 4.8% following its announcement of investments totaling up to €2.5 billion in private credit.
• MTU Aero Engines, Zalando, and Fresenius experienced declines of 4%, 3.7%, and 3.5%, respectively.
• SAP, Hannover RE, Beiersdorf, Adidas, Continental, and Deutsche Bank experienced declines ranging from 2% to 3%.
• Siemens Energy experienced a significant decline, even as it raised its FY26 outlook.
• BMW, Scout24, Henkel, and Daimler Truck Holding experienced a significant decline.
• Bayer experienced an increase of nearly 6.5% following the announcement of stronger first-quarter earnings, driven by a solid performance in its crop science division.
• Brenntag increased by 3.5%, BASF rose by 3.25%, and Deutsche Boerse saw an advancement of 3%.
• Deutsche Post, Merck, E.On, Porsche Automobil Holding, and Fresenius Medical Care experienced increases ranging from 1% to 1.7%.

Steelmaker Salzgitter experienced a notable increase of 6%. The company has raised its earnings forecast for fiscal 2026 following the release of positive results for the first quarter. Technology group Jenoptik experienced a notable increase of 10.5% following the announcement of a 74% rise in its Q1 order intake. In recent economic developments, final data from Destatis indicated that Germany’s consumer price inflation reached its peak since late 2023 in April, driven by a significant rise in energy prices amid geopolitical tensions.

In April, consumer price inflation increased to 2.9%, up from 2.7% in March, aligning with the estimate released on April 29. Germany’s ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment increased by seven points to -10.2 in May, marking a recovery from an over three-year low of -17.2 in April and exceeding market expectations of -19.8, according to a report from the Centre for European Economic Research.

In the meantime, the current economic situation index has declined to -77.8, marking its lowest point since December 2025 and falling short of the anticipated -77.5. In May, the ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for the Euro Area experienced an increase of 11.3 points, reaching -9.1, which surpassed market expectations of -20. The evaluation of the present circumstances has also seen an enhancement, as the index increased by 1.6 points to -41.4, whereas inflation expectations decreased by 13.7 points to 65.3.