The DAX index has started the trading week with sharp losses. In the Monday session, the DAX is at 12,309, up 0.32% on the day. There are no German or eurozone events on the schedule.
It continues to be a rough June for the DAX, which has slipped 2.8 percent. European equity markets remain under pressure, as investors cast a nervous eye on the escalating trade tariff between the U.S and its major trading partners. On Friday, the EU slapped retaliatory tariffs of some 25% on $3.3 billion of U.S goods. This move was in response to U.S tariffs on EU steel and aluminum imports. However, President Trump has more cards up his sleeves and has threatened to impose 20% tariffs on EU vehicles. This threat has sent automobile stocks on the DAX sharply lower on Monday. Daimler is down 2.29% and BMW has fallen 1.49%. On Thursday, Daimler said that trade tensions would affect its sales. BMW exports cars from the U.S to China and Europe, so the trade battles could have a negative impact on the company’s revenues. Later this week, the U.S Treasury Department is expected to announce restrictions on Chinese investment in the U.S, as part of the government’s efforts to curtail alleged intellectual property theft by the Chinese. This would mark a significant escalation of the trade battle with China, and a strong Chinese response could shake up the fragile global stock markets.
Major central bankers have expressed alarm at the recent protectionist moves, and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), an umbrella group for 60 central banks, weighed in on the crisis on Sunday. The BIS said that a global trading war is putting growth and financial stability at risk, and also warned that this could have negative side effects on the currency markets. At the same time, the BIS expressed support for the Federal Reserve raising interest rates gradually and for the ECB heading towards normalization as it winds up its massive asset program.
