Stock markets in the first half of 2024 with significant price gains boosted by positive expectations

The upswing from 2023 continued on the global stock markets, so that the development of the indices in the first half of 2024 was mostly clearly positive. New historical highs were reached on numerous stock exchanges. In addition to the prospect of a key interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank in the summer of 2024, positive economic leading indicators in the USA were also supporting the noticeable upward trend. In addition, temporary signs of economic stabilization in Europe, coupled with lower inflation, also had a positive effect on price developments. After temporary setbacks due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East in April 2024, stock markets developed positively again from May onwards, with some stock market indices subsequently reaching new all-time highs again in May and June.

This also applied to the development on the German stock markets. The German leading index DAX reached a new all-time high in the second quarter of 2024 and ended the first six months at 18,235 points. This corresponds to an increase of 8.9% compared to the end of 2023. In comparison, the development of the MDAX was somewhat more moderate, with an increase of 7.2% compared to the end of December 2023. The index ended the first half of 2023 at 25,176 points. The reference index SDAX, to which the NORMA Group share belongs, closed at 14,318 points at the end of June 2024, 2.6% above the year-end level of 2023.

The US Dow Jones Index ended the first half of 2024 at 39,119 points, an increase of 3.8% compared to the end of 2023. The broader S&P 500 Index ended the first half of 2024 with a significant increase of 14.5% at 5,460 points. The MSCI World Automobiles Index, which is considered a trend indicator for the global automotive market, closed at 271 points on June 30, 2024, an increase of 8.6% compared to the end of 2023.