DE40: DAX nears all-time high despite disappointing automaker sales

• European automaker shares declined Tuesday following disappointing regional car sales data showing drops in new registrations across major markets including Germany and France

• E.ON shares slid after Citi downgraded the German utility to neutral from buy and cut its price target to €15.5

• Thyssenkrupp announced plans to transform into a holding company structure with majority stakes in standalone business unit

European markets extended their positive momentum on Tuesday, building on Monday's strong rally with continued gains across most major indices as investor confidence remained elevated following the US tariff deadline extension. The pan-European EU50 index added another 0.26% to reach 5,414.6, while Germany's DE40 climbed 0.41% to 24,145.6, maintaining the optimistic sentiment that emerged after President Trump's decision to delay EU tariff implementation until July 9.

The UK's UK100 led the regional gains with a robust 0.74% surge to 8,807.5, while the Netherlands' NED25 continued its upward trajectory with a 0.62% advance to 930.98. Spain's SPA35 posted a solid 0.50% gain to reach 14,286, and Italy's ITA40 added 0.40% to 40,215, demonstrating the broad-based nature of the European recovery.

France's FRA40 showed more modest gains with a 0.16% increase to 7,825.9, while Switzerland's SUI20 edged up 0.11% to 12,340. Poland's W20 managed a slight 0.04% gain to 2,802.6, though Austria's AUT20 bucked the trend with a 0.23% decline to 4,365, the only major European index to post losses during the session.

Volatility is currently observed in the broader European market. Source: xStation

The German DE40 Index is retesting its ATH and it remains above the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level and the 50-day SMA—both acting as key support zones. Bulls will look to maintain momentum above recent highs to confirm the breakout, while bears may attempt to drive the index below those levels, with the 50-day SMA as a near-term target. The RSI is easing just below overbought territory, indicating a potential cooldown in bullish momentum. Meanwhile, the MACD is beginning to narrow after turning negative recently. Source: xStation

Market News

• European automaker shares declined Tuesday following disappointing regional car sales data showing drops in new registrations across major markets including Germany and France; the Stoxx 600 Autos and Parts Index fell 0.4% by 9:05 a.m. in Frankfurt despite the broader market gaining 0.2%, reversing Monday's 1.8% sector rally that came after President Trump's tariff delay announcement; Volkswagen dropped 0.3%, Porsche fell 0.5%, Mercedes declined 0.6%, BMW lost 0.6%, Stellantis slumped 0.8%, and Renault tumbled 1.5%, while auto parts suppliers also retreated with Continental down 0.3%, Michelin off 0.5%, and both Forvia and Valeo declining 1.3%.

• E.ON shares slid as much as 1.8% after Citi downgraded the German utility to neutral from buy and cut its price target to €15.50, removing it from the bank's European focus list; analyst Piotr Dzieciolowski cited the stock's 39% year-to-date gains and current 25% premium valuation to regulated asset base, noting that strong performance has been driven by reduced German political risks and capital flows to domestic European assets, with potential positives from regulatory reviews and €10 billion in additional capital spending now largely priced in.

• Four former Volkswagen managers were convicted by a German court for their roles in the dieselgate emissions scandal that manipulated millions of vehicles and caused €2.1 billion in driver damages; Jens Hadler, who led diesel-engine development from 2007-2011, received the harshest sentence of 4½ years in prison, while former top engineer Hanno Jelden got 2 years and 7 months, ex-executive Heinz-Jakob Neusser received a suspended 1 year and 3 months sentence, and manager Thorsten D. got a suspended 1 year and 10 months term, marking the first criminal convictions of senior VW staff nearly a decade after the scandal broke.

• Thyssenkrupp announced plans to transform into a holding company structure with majority stakes in standalone business units, marking the end of its era as a fully integrated operation; CEO Miguel Ángel López Borrego said the restructuring will spin off the materials services trading arm and automotive-technology division while building on previous plans to sell or partially divest steelmaking and naval shipbuilding operations, with the company's stock nearly doubling over the past year as it dismantles its traditional conglomerate model.

Other news coming from individual DAX index companies. Source: Bloomberg Financial LP