DAX edges higher as Beiersdorf and automakers fall
Germany's DAX traded at 25,390.65 points, a gain of 0.04%. Siemens Energy rose 1.56%, Zalando advanced 1.13% and Hannover Rueck added 0.68%, leading the index. At the other end, Beiersdorf lost 3.71%, Mercedes-Benz Group fell 2.77% and BMW declined 1.56%.
Beiersdorf's third-quarter results, released October 27, 2026, showed a small increase in reported sales but a decline on an organic basis. Revenue rose 0.4% to just under 2.4 billion euros; excluding currency and portfolio effects, it fell 1.3%. The company maintained the annual outlook it had reduced in summer 2026: a low single-digit organic sales decline and an adjusted EBIT margin of at least 11.8%, compared with 14.0% in 2025.
Mercedes-Benz's third-quarter delivery figures showed worldwide passenger-car and van sales of around 492,000, down 6% from a year earlier. Deliveries in China dropped 31%. Passenger-car deliveries totaled 407,200, an 8% decline, while battery-electric sales set a quarterly record of around 68,400. Sales in the top-end segment fell 21%. The company's third-quarter report is due October 28, 2026.
BMW is scheduled to report on November 4, 2026. On June 16, it lowered its 2026 automotive EBIT margin forecast to 1%–3% from 4%–6%. At its September 30 capital markets day, BMW set a 3%–5% target for 2028 and said it did not expect to return to the previous 8%–10% range until the early 2030s.
SUESS MicroTec sinks after outlook cut
SUESS MicroTec was the largest decliner in both the MDAX and TecDAX in the morning update, falling 12.28%. On October 27, the company reduced its 2026 revenue and margin forecasts because of restructuring costs and temporary production disruptions. It is concentrating manufacturing in Taiwan and Sternenfels and closing production in Garching, affecting around 70 employees.
A separate wallstreetONLINE report put the stock's intraday loss at as much as 13.79%. Trading volume had already reached 1.7 times the total for the previous session.
The company will publish its third-quarter figures on November 5, 2026. At the time of its second-quarter report in August, SUESS MicroTec had a record order backlog of 473.7 million euros. Around 220 million euros of that backlog was earmarked for deliveries in 2027.
The MDAX declined 0.35% to 30,162.39 points. Its strongest performers were flatexDEGIRO, up 4.14%, Rational, up 1.01%, and Porsche AG, up 0.87%. Alongside SUESS MicroTec, the weakest stocks were Deutz, down 2.53%, and Aroundtown, down 2.14%.
The TecDAX was unchanged at 4,057.56 points. Verbio led with a 3.19% gain, followed by PVA TePla at 1.30% and SAP at 0.55%. In addition to SUESS MicroTec's decline, freenet lost 1.67% and Siltronic fell 1.06%.
Austria leads despite Lenzing's decline
Austria's AT 20 climbed 1.32% to 6,352.77 points, the largest gain among the indices in the update. STRABAG rose 3.33%, AT & S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik gained 3.03% and UNIQA Insurance Group advanced 2.38%. Lenzing moved in the opposite direction, falling 4.33%, while Palfinger lost 1.03%.
Lenzing carried out a fully guaranteed rights issue targeting gross proceeds of around 300 million euros. The issue comprised 34,756,362 new shares at 8.65 euros each, with a 10-to-9 subscription ratio. Berenberg lowered its rating from "Buy" to "Hold" and reduced its price target to 17 euros from 29.50 euros. Lenzing is scheduled to release its third-quarter 2026 results on November 5.
Eurozone and Swiss indices rise; Sweden and Greece slip
The Eurozone 50 was up 0.18% at 6,106.83 points at 9:59:21 a.m. Siemens Energy's 1.56% gain put it at the top, ahead of Nordea Bank Abp, up 1.03%, and Schneider Electric, up 0.89%. Mercedes-Benz Group fell 2.77%, ENGIE lost 1.90% and SAFRAN declined 1.63%, making them the index's weakest performers.
Switzerland's CH 20 gained 0.45% to 14,559.70 points. Novartis rose 2.65%, followed by Amrize at 0.67% and Swiss Life Holding at 0.64%. Sika declined 0.53% and Geberit slipped 0.31%.
Sweden's SE 30 fell 0.20% to 3,210.21 points. Svenska Handelsbanken's A shares gained 1.84%, Alfa Laval rose 1.29% and Assa Abloy's B shares added 1.14%. SSAB's A shares lost 0.84%, while Ericsson's B shares fell 0.47%.
Greece's FTSE Athex 20 declined 0.15% to 6,490.00 points. Hellenic Exchanges - Athens Stock Exchange rose 2.36%, GEK Terna gained 2.01% and Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company added 1.22%. Viohalco fell 1.44%, Jumbo lost 0.73% and LAMDA Development slipped 0.72%.
