FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Bad news from Airbus and Merck KGaA weighed on the Dax on Tuesday, along with their share prices. The leading German index closed 0.81 percent lower at 18,177.62 points. The recovery that began last week has thus come to a halt for the time being.

Since the record high of 18,892 points in mid-May, the trend has been pointing downwards again. However, the 100-day average line as an indicator of the medium to long-term trend once again proved to be a support for the Dax on Tuesday. The MDax of mid-caps ultimately lost 0.92% to 25,467.36 points.

The EuroStoxx 50, the leading index in the eurozone, ended the day 0.3 percent lower. Prices also fell in Paris and London. New York's leading index, the Dow Jones Industrial, lost 0.7 percent at the close of European trading, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 rose by roughly the same amount.

The lowering of corporate targets ultimately caused Airbus, which closed at the bottom of the DAX, to fall by 9.5 percent and also weighed on other stocks in the sector. The aircraft manufacturer expects a lower operating profit than previously due to a write-down in the aerospace division and ongoing supply chain problems. Airbus also lowered its annual target for the delivery of commercial aircraft and postponed the target for the monthly production of A320 aircraft by one year into the future. MTU shares lost 3.5 percent in the wake of this news. According to the investment bank Stifel, the supply chain problems at Airbus are having a negative impact on the engine manufacturer./gl/he