FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Investors will continue to have to contend with the 19,000-point mark on the DAX on Friday. Indications suggest that the leading index will remain just above it with little movement. The broker IG estimated it a few points lower at 19,009 points two hours before the opening. The labor market report from the USA, which is expected in the afternoon, could be decisive in determining where the markets will head in the course of the day.

Investors are shying away from risk due to the tense situation in the Middle East. "The markets are holding steady, but the geopolitical landscape is bubbling," wrote market observer Stephen Innes from SPI Asset Management in the morning. "Beneath this seemingly calm surface, a storm is brewing. Everyone knows that the next move could shake things up dramatically," he said, referring to a feared Israeli backlash to the Iranian attack.

The expert also referred to the next economic signals. In his view, the fact that the US economy is continuing to prove its resilience is positive for the time being. However, there is also a flip side to this coin: "In view of such good economic development, the Fed may not have any convincing arguments for a massive interest rate cut in November," the expert wrote. The jobs report on Friday could turn this tide./tih/jha/