FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) – The US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities left investors on the German stock market largely unmoved at the start of the week. A moderately positive opening on US exchanges also contributed to the calm. The DAX closed down 0.35 percent at 23,269.01 points. The MDAX ended Monday trading with a 0.28 percent loss at 29,283.92 points.
Overnight into Sunday, the United States joined Israel's war against Iran, bombing underground Iranian nuclear facilities. US President Donald Trump's actions sparked international fears of a possible escalation of the Middle East conflict. In response, Israel's military said it had attacked access routes to Iran's Fordo nuclear facility.
The big question now, ING market experts emphasized, is how Iran will respond and what impact this will have on energy markets. A major risk, they noted, is that Iran could attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for oil transport. However, according to commodity strategist Warren Patterson, the market does not yet believe this will happen, as the strait is particularly important for shipments to Asia. Blocking it would primarily affect China, a nation with close ties to Iran.
