German stocks finished the trading session mixed on Thursday, with sectoral winners and losers producing a split market picture at the close in Frankfurt. Gains were concentrated in Media, Chemicals and Food & Beverages names, while declines in Construction, Software and Insurance weighed on parts of the market.
At the close, the DAX fell 0.33%. The mid-cap MDAX index advanced 0.19% and the TecDAX also gained 0.19%.
Top and bottom movers
Among DAX-listed names, Merck KGaA (ETR:MRCG) was the strongest performer, climbing 2.97% or 3.65 points to finish at 126.40. Zalando SE (ETR:ZALG) added 2.63% or 0.53 points to close at 20.65, and Symrise AG Inh. O.N. (ETR:SY1G) rose 2.48% or 1.88 points to end at 77.62.
On the downside, Airbus Group SE (ETR:AIRG) led losses on the DAX, sliding 4.29% or 7.44 points to settle at 166.00. Commerzbank AG O.N. (ETR:CBKG) dropped 3.45% or 1.28 points to close at 35.87, and Munich Reinsurance (ETR:MUVGn) declined 2.37% or 11.50 points to 474.30.
MDAX movers
Stroeer SE (ETR:SAXG) paced gains on the MDAX, jumping 8.14% to 37.46. Sartorius AG VZO O.N. (ETR:SATG_p) added 3.16% to finish at 235.20, and Lanxess AG (ETR:LXSG) rose 2.65% to close at 17.41.
Among MDAX decliners, Redcare Pharmacy NV (ETR:RDC) slipped 3.40% to 44.86, TeamViewer AG (ETR:TMV) lost 3.21% to end at 5.59, and Bilfinger SE O.N. (ETR:GBFG) fell 2.93% to 86.25.
TecDAX movers
SMA Solar Technology AG (ETR:S92G) led the TecDAX gainers with a 4.53% rise to 64.55. Evotec AG O.N. (ETR:EVTG) was up 3.67% to 5.08, and Sartorius AG VZO O.N. (ETR:SATG_p) also featured among TecDAX leaders, gaining 3.16% to 235.20.
Weakness in the tech and software space included TeamViewer AG, down 3.21% to 5.59, United Internet AG NA (ETR:UTDI) which lost 2.58% to settle at 26.38, and Nagarro SE (ETR:NA9n), which declined 1.99% to 40.40.
Market breadth and notable moves
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, with 327 stocks falling against 298 rising and 18 unchanged. Nagarro SE fell to an all-time low, slipping 1.99% or 0.82 to 40.40 in late trade.
The DAX volatility index, which measures implied volatility in DAX options, was down 1.64% to 22.13.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery fell 0.82% or 37.58 to $4,520.42 a troy ounce. Crude oil for July delivery rose 1.71% or 1.68 to $99.94 a barrel, while the July Brent contract increased 1.29% or 1.36 to trade at $106.38 a barrel.
FX movements included EUR/USD which was effectively unchanged at 1.16, and EUR/GBP which was unchanged at 0.86. The US Dollar Index Futures gained 0.26% to 99.36.
This session left the main German benchmark modestly lower while mid- and small-cap segments recorded slight gains. Sector divergence was a prominent theme, with Media, Chemicals and Food & Beverages supporting parts of the market and Construction, Software and Insurance among the weaker groups.