Germany: DAX Advances, Still Posts Steep Monthly Loss.

Frankfurt's DAX 40 closed about 0.5% up at 22,633 in the final trading session of March, in line with its European peers, reflecting cautious optimism over a potential end to the war in Iran. President Trump reportedly told his advisors that he is prepared to end the American military campaign against Iran, even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed. Meanwhile, a month into the US–Israeli attacks, Iran continued launching ballistic missiles and drones at neighboring Gulf states, and a Kuwaiti oil tanker was struck off the coast of Dubai. Among the biggest gainers were shares of MTU Aero Engines and Rheinmetall, rising 4.2% and 2.2%, respectively. Other top performers included Adidas, Deutsche Borse, Commerzbank, RWE, Infineon and Zalando, with gains up to 2.2%. On the flip side, Symrise (-1.3%) and BASF (-1.3%) posted the biggest declines. Still, the DAX recorded a monthly loss of 10.5%, the steepest since March 2020, amid heightened uncertainty from geopolitical tensions.