Dax starts in the red – worries about oil prices weigh on it

Frankfurt. The Dax started trading on Monday at 25,538 points and is therefore slightly in the red. On Friday, the Dax ended the week on a positive note thanks to falling oil prices and had advanced by 0.8 percent to 25,568 points. The US inflation data had fueled bets on an interest rate increase by the US Federal Reserve.

QC Partners analyst Thomas Altmann points to the Dax's weak annual results. "The last time there were more than two negative weeks in a row was in March. In fact, investors have not made any money on the Dax since mid-January. Since then it has been a volatile, sideways market," says the expert. “If the recent downward trend continues, some people will become more nervous.”

Rising oil prices at the beginning of the week are once again fueling concerns about a shortage of supply. After further attacks in the Persian Gulf, oil prices rose more than three percent on Monday.

The price for a barrel (159 liters) of Brent crude oil from the North Sea for delivery in November climbed to almost $108 in the morning, approaching the $110 mark again. On Friday, the Brent price had fallen slightly after a rapid rise in the previous days.