The DAX in Frankfurt struggled for direction on Monday but ended the session marginally higher at 24,365, the highest level since November 12. Investors closely followed geopolitical developments while awaiting the release of the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes for guidance on the future path of US monetary policy. Following talks over the weekend, President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they had made substantial progress on a 20-point plan, while noting that key issues related to territory, ceasefire terms, and Ukrainian approval are yet to be resolved. Among equities, Adidas led the gains, rising 2.3%, followed by Continental (+2%), Vonovia (+1.4%), BASF (+1.3%), Bayer (+1.2%), Merck (+1.2%) and Zalando (+1.1%). On the downside, defense names such as Hensoldt (-1.2%), Rheinmetall (-0.9%) and Renk (-0.5%) remained under pressure. Deutsche Bank dropped more than 1.5%.