2026.03.3116:07:38UTC+00DAX Advances, Still Posts Steep Monthly Loss

Frankfurt’s DAX 40 finished the final trading session of March about 0.5% higher at 22,633, broadly in line with other major European indices, as investors showed cautious optimism about a possible end to the war in Iran. According to reports, President Trump has told his advisors he is prepared to halt the US military campaign against Iran, even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed.

On the ground, however, hostilities persisted. One month into the US–Israeli offensive, Iran continued to fire ballistic missiles and deploy drones against neighboring Gulf states, and a Kuwaiti oil tanker was hit off the coast of Dubai.

Among the strongest gainers on the day were MTU Aero Engines and Rheinmetall, which rose 4.2% and 2.2%, respectively. Other notable outperformers included Adidas, Deutsche Börse, Commerzbank, RWE, Infineon, and Zalando, each adding up to 2.2%. At the other end of the spectrum, Symrise and BASF were the weakest performers, both slipping 1.3%.

Despite the day’s advance, the DAX ended the month with a 10.5% loss, its sharpest monthly decline since March 2020, as escalating geopolitical tensions continued to weigh on market sentiment.