FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - The DAX is likely to start the day slightly lower on Tuesday. Broker IG estimated the leading German index 0.1 percent lower at 18,272 points around two and a half hours before the Xetra start.

On Monday, the Dax started strongly after the first round of the French election and climbed to 18,460 points in the first few minutes of trading. Ultimately, however, it remained stuck at the 50-day average line, which had already been breached in the meantime and now stands at 18,391 points.

In view of the price recovery on the US stock market, however, the Dax was able to end the first day of the week with a small gain. In the United States, technology stocks on the Nasdaq, which had been weak in the meantime, were able to make gains.

Both the market-wide S&P 500 and the Nasdaq indices < US6311011026 >remained within sight of their Friday records./ag/zb