The Dax is expected to start Thursday's session little changed, according to calculations from banks and brokerages. Optimism surrounding a potential peace agreement in the Middle East bolstered equity markets on Wednesday while weighing on crude prices. For the first time since the conflict began, the Dax briefly breached the psychologically significant 25,000-point threshold. The German benchmark index eventually closed up 2.1 percent at 24,918 points. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reached new record highs, while Japanese markets also posted significant gains on Thursday.

According to insiders, the U.S. and Iran are nearing an initial framework agreement. Reports from Iran on Wednesday indicated that the government in Tehran is reviewing a new U.S. proposal. However, a sense of caution emerged in the oil market following the recent price slide. Brent crude and U.S. WTI rose by more than one percent on Thursday, peaking at 102.55 and 96.48 dollars per barrel, respectively. The outlook for peace negotiations remains uncertain, noted Hiroyuki Kikukawa, chief strategist at Nissan Securities Investment.

Thursday's corporate calendar is packed with earnings and updates, including reports from Siemens Healthineers, Vonovia, Rheinmetall, and Allianz SE. On the macro front, German industrial orders for March are expected to show continued growth. From the U.S., investors will be monitoring the latest weekly jobless claims data.

Closing levels of European Level  

Stock Indices and

Futures on Wednesday

Dax 24,918.69    

EuroStoxx50 6,027.13    

EuroStoxx50-Future 6,013.00    

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Closing levels of Level Change in

U.S. Indices on Wednesday Percent

Dow Jones 49,910.59   +1.2%  

Nasdaq 

S&P 500  7,365.12   +1.5%  

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Asian Indices on Level at 07:00 Change in

Thursday CET Percent

Nikkei  62,972.23   +5.8%  

Shanghai 4,170.75   +0.3%  

Hang Seng 26,624.76   +1.6%  

(Report by Anika Ross, Daniela Pegna. For inquiries, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economics) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for corporate and markets).)