Germany: DAX Finishes Marginally Down.

Frankfurt's DAX 40 trimmed some early losses to close marginally down at 22,640 on Tuesday, reflecting persistent uncertainty over the Iran war amid conflicting signals on a potential end of the conflict. Meanwhile, flash March PMI surveys showed that the recent surge in energy prices is already affecting global economies, slowing business activity and production while adding upward pressure on inflation. Germany's private sector growth slowed to a three-month low, with the services sector losing further momentum. SAP led losses in equities, falling roughly 4% following JPMorgan’s downgrade from ‘Overweight’ to ‘Neutral. Analyst Toby Ogg argued that the outlook for expected growth acceleration and margin expansion had changed. Bayer fell nearly 2% on news of potential stake sale from shareholder Inclusive Capital Partners. On the upside, chemical firm Brenntag jumped 7.6% after Deutsche Bank raised its rating from ‘Hold’ to ‘Buy' and lifted its price target from €46 to €57.