Germany: DAX Falls for 2nd Day.

The DAX 40 moved into the red to close marginally down at 26,292 on Thursday, the second day of losses, despite remaining close to recent record highs. Falling oil prices and reduced concerns over interest rates provided support, but uncertainty over the Iran conflict kept investors cautious. Meanwhile, attention remained focused on corporate earnings as the reporting season drew to a close. Among key movers, BASF (-2%), Mercedes-Benz Group (-1.5%) and Volkswagen (-1.3%) posted the biggest declines. On the upside, Continental emerged as the top performer, rising around 3%. RWE gained 2.5% after reporting better-than-expected first-half profit, helped by a Dutch compensation payment and stronger energy trading, while reaffirming its 2026 dividend and long-term profit targets.