Given its strong run since the beginning of the year, the Dax has run out of breath. However, it is holding steady on Wednesday morning, supported by continued accommodative monetary policy in Japan. In the first few minutes of trading, the leading German index was up 0.08 percent to 15,199.62 points.

The MDax for medium-sized companies rose by 0.47 percent to 28,771.41 points. The EuroStoxx 50, the leading index in the euro zone, gained 0.23 percent to 4184.08 points.

The day before, a report by the Bloomberg news agency had provided a boost. Accordingly, the ranks of the European Central Bank (ECB) are considering slowing down the pace of interest rate hikes soon. This is in contrast to recent statements by many central bankers that the ECB will have to raise interest rates significantly for quite some time. France’s central bank chief Francois Villeroy de Gallhau rejected the speculation on Wednesday.