DAX Retreats After Hitting New Record High

(RTTNews) - German stock market's benchmark DAX climbed to a new record high Thursday morning amid rising geopolitical tensions following the seizure of two oil tankers by the U.S. One of the tankers was Russian-flagged.

However, after rising to 25,222.92, the index pared gains subsequently and slipped into negative territory. It was seen at 25,073.99 a little while ago, down 24.54 points or 0.1% from previous close.

Defense stocks moved higher after U.S. President Donald Trump called for higher U.S. defense spending.

Rheinmetall climbed 1.5%. Bayer, E.ON., Henkel, Fresenius, Deutsche Bank, Allianz, Deutsche Telekom and Siemens Healthineers gained 0.3 to 1%.

Zalando drifted down by about 2.5%. Siemens Energy, Adidas, BMW, Brenntag and Volkswagen lost 1 to 1.7%.

Porsche Automobil Holding, Deutsche Boerse, Infineon Technologies, Heidelberg Materials, Fresenius Medical Care, Mercedes-Benz and Beiersdorf slid by 0.5 to 1%.

In economic news, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed Germany's factory orders jumped 5.6% mom in November 2025, picking up from an upwardly revised 1.6% increase in the prior month. This marked the third straight monthly gain and the strongest pace since December 2024.