Germany's equity market closed the session with a mixed picture on Tuesday as sector-level strength and weakness left the headline DAX modestly lower. At the close in Frankfurt, the DAX fell 0.12%, the MDAX shed 0.04%, and the TecDAX advanced 0.50%.
The session's best performers on the DAX were led by chemical and industrial names. Symrise AG Inh. O.N. (ETR:SY1G) posted the largest gain, rising 6.98% or 5.00 points to finish at 76.64. Brenntag AG (ETR:BNRGn) climbed 5.50% or 3.04 points to close at 58.36, and BASF SE NA O.N. (ETR:BASFN) added 4.64% or 2.26 points to end the day at 50.92.
On the downside, several large-cap stocks exerted pressure. Siemens Energy AG (ETR:ENR1n) fell 4.62% or 7.30 points to trade at 150.60 at the close. Allianz SE VNA O.N. (ETR:ALVG) declined 2.58% or 10.00 points to 377.40, and Heidelberg Materials AG (ETR:HEIG) lost 1.82% or 4.00 points to finish at 216.20.
The MDAX also displayed notable movers. Lanxess AG (ETR:LXSG) led gains on that index, rising 11.12% to 21.58. Media group Stroeer SE (ETR:SAXG) advanced 7.34% to settle at 35.85, while Aixtron SE (ETR:AIXGn) climbed 6.16% to close at 22.42.
Among the MDAX laggards, IONOS Group SE (ETR:IOSn) fell 8.25% to 23.90 in late trade. TeamViewer AG (ETR:TMV) dropped 6.27% to 5.53 and Tui AG NA (ETR:TUI1n) declined 4.88% to 8.89 at the close.
Technology-oriented names in the TecDAX were skewed to the upside. Aixtron SE (ETR:AIXGn) again featured among the top performers in that index with a 6.16% gain to 22.42. Kontron AG (ETR:KTN) rose 5.72% to 23.28, and Siltronic AG (ETR:WAFGn) improved 5.42% to end at 56.45.
Tech-related declines were also present. IONOS Group SE (ETR:IOSn) was the weakest on the TecDAX, down 8.25% to 23.90. TeamViewer AG (ETR:TMV) lost 6.27% to 5.53, and Nordex SE O.N. (ETR:NDXG) slipped 4.27% to 32.30.
Market breadth in Frankfurt favored advancers: 356 stocks rose while 262 declined and 25 finished unchanged. Notably, shares of Aixtron SE (ETR:AIXGn) reached a 52-week high, gaining 6.16% or 1.30 to close at 22.42.
Volatility softened during the session. The DAX volatility index, which measures implied volatility of DAX options, fell 7.21% to 17.54.
Commodities moved lower in the session. Gold futures for April delivery declined 0.65% or 33.01 to trade at 5,046.39 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery fell 0.59% or 0.38 to $63.98 a barrel, while the April Brent contract dropped 0.36% or 0.25 to $68.79 a barrel.
Foreign exchange rates were largely unchanged. EUR/USD was flat at 1.19, moving 0.15%. EUR/GBP was essentially steady as well, changing 0.10% to 0.87. The US Dollar Index Futures remained unchanged at 96.69.
Market action reflected a split between risk-on movers in chemicals, media and technology, and pockets of weakness in construction, insurance and telecom sectors. The session's breadth and the dip in implied volatility suggest traders rotated into select cyclicals and technology names while some defensive and capital-intensive sectors lagged.