The rise in oil prices initially slowed down the Dax somewhat at the start of the second quarter. After a strong last week in March, the German stock market barometer barely moved from the spot in early trading on Monday, up 0.13 percent to 15,648.60 points. The MDax of medium-sized stocks fell by 0.59 percent to 27,498.75 points. The leading eurozone index, the EuroStoxx 50, increased by 0.23 percent to 4325.03 points.

At the beginning of the shortened Easter week, the focus is on the oil market, after members of the OPEC oil alliance surprisingly announced a reduction in production. As a result, the hopes of a quick end to the interest rate hikes by the central banks were “severely dampened”, according to capital market strategist Jürgen Molnar from RoboMarkets.

Around the world, it was primarily the falling energy prices that heralded the downward trend in inflation rates. “Especially for Europe, rising prices for oil and gas would be a medium-sized problem, since they are likely to generate further inflationary pressure in addition to the threatening wage-price spiral.”

In the case of individual stocks, the main focus was on analyst studies. In the Dax, the Siemens Energy share was the favorite with a plus of 4.2 percent. Bank stocks embarked on a recovery course across Europe. In Germany, the Commerzbank share increased by 3.0 percent and that of Deutsche Bank by 2.8 percent. Also in demand was the RWE share certificate, which had briefly climbed to a five-week high and was recently up 0.7 percent.