FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - After a midweek rally, the German stock index DAX is expected to remain flat on Thursday. Broker IG priced the leading DAX index at 24,043 points about two hours before Xetra trading opened, virtually unchanged from the previous day's close. The stalemate at the symbolic 24,000-point mark, which has persisted over recent weeks and months, is likely to continue.
So far, the quarterly earnings season has failed to provide a decisive boost to the overall market, neither upward nor downward. "The DAX remains in a sideways trend," notes analyst Martin Utschneider from broker Robomarkets. In the short term, however, downside risks are prevailing.
On Thursday, investors are expected to maintain their focus on third-quarter earnings reports. The agenda includes several DAX-listed companies such as Commerzbank, DHL Group, Zalando, Heidelberg Materials, Henkel, Rheinmetall, Gea Group, and Continental./bek/jha/
