Virus variant sends Dax downhill | Free press

by time news

Frankfurt / Main (dpa) – A possibly more dangerous coronavirus variant than Delta put investors on the German stock market on Friday. The Dax went downhill and dropped 4.15 percent to 15,257.04 points.

After reaching a record high in mid-November at just under 16,300 points, it has now fallen back to its lowest level since mid-October. His weekly loss is 5.6 percent. At the end of last week, the increasingly worsening corona situation and economic worries had caused a turning point.

The MDax lost 3.32 percent on Friday to 33,849.95 points and the stock exchanges across Europe and in the USA fell sharply. The EuroStoxx 50 dropped by 4.74 percent to 4089.58 points, and high losses were also recorded in Paris and London. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial fell 2.8 percent at close of trading in Europe.

Experts fear that the virus variant B.1.1.529 that has emerged in southern Africa could also penetrate the protective shield of the vaccines more easily because of its many mutations. The Mainz vaccine manufacturer Biontech is currently analyzing the new variant and is expecting findings in two weeks at the latest. The EU health authority ECDC wants to give an assessment of the danger this Friday.

The first countries such as Great Britain and Israel have already restricted air traffic as a precaution, other countries are likely to follow. Germany will declare South Africa a virus variant area from Saturday night. In the meantime, the mutation has already been detected in one traveler in Belgium.

All industries in Europe fell, but the travel, banking, and automotive industries and related companies were particularly hard hit. In the Dax, the papers of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the engine manufacturer MTU collapsed by a little more than 11 percent. In the MDax, Lufthansa’s shares fell by almost 13 percent and that of the airport operator Fraport by 11.5 percent.

On the other hand, stocks were in demand that are considered winners of the corona pandemic: Online stocks such as Delivery Hero, Hellofresh and Zalando, the laboratory equipment supplier Sartorius, the diagnostics company Qiagen and the pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA were the only winners in the Dax with price premiums between 2.6 and 5.5 percent.

K + S lost almost 6 percent. The German Audit Office for Accounting (DPR) continues to express criticism of the way in which the fertilizer group’s accounts are presented in certain periods of time. However, value adjustments are probably not necessary. Analyst Markus Mayer from Baader Bank does not consider a penalty for K + S to be ruled out.

Software AG’s shares rose by a little more than 9 percent at the top of the MDax. According to informed circles, the Darmstadt-based software provider is examining strategic options, including its own sales, as reported by the Bloomberg news agency. Compugroup Medical braced themselves after the announcement of a share buyback with 1.6 percent plus against the generally very weak trend.

In view of the new virus variant, the euro benefited from investors’ search for safe currencies. The common currency rose significantly, costing $ 1.1317 in the early evening. The European Central Bank set the reference rate at 1.1291 (Thursday: 1.1223) dollars. The dollar cost 0.8856 (0.8910) euros.

On the bond market, the current yield fell from minus 0.36 percent the previous day to 0.42 percent. The Rex bond index rose 0.35 percent to 145.44 points. The Bund future climbed 0.75 percent to 172.33 points in the evening.

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