German Equities Rise; US-Iran Tensions Reignite

11:49 AM EDT, 08/11/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Germany's blue-chip DAX index was in the green on Tuesday, closing 0.27% higher, as renewed diplomatic friction between the US and Iran stoked uncertainty regarding the Strait of Hormuz's reopening. Prospects for reopening the Strait of Hormuz hit a fresh wall as Washington and Tehran traded opposing demands for war reparations. With US President Donald Trump now seeking payment for 50 years' worth of damages and Iran refusing to clear the waterway without security guarantees and sanctions relief, diplomatic efforts remain stalled. "The more pessimistic narrative meant that Brent crude oil (+4.99%) moved up for a 4th consecutive session yesterday, closing at $87.72 [per barrel]. In addition, fears of a more protracted standoff were also gaining momentum, with the 6-month Brent future (+4.44%) also up to $80.24/bbl. So that helped to revive inflation fears on both sides of the Atlantic, with the 1yr Euro inflation swap [+12.6 basis points] back up to 2.39% yesterday. And that in turn led to mounting speculation about central bank rate hikes, with investors pricing in a more hawkish path for the months ahead," Deutsche Bank Research wrote. In corporate news, Deutsche Bank (DBK.F) fell 0.09% after securing the designation from the People's Bank of China as the first European lender authorized to handle renminbi clearing in the region. The role allows the Frankfurt-based bank to offer European financial institutions and companies direct, end-to-end processing and settlement for cross-border transactions in the Chinese currency. Outside the main index, Uniper (UN0.F) raised the floor of its full-year 2026 adjusted net income outlook to between 500 million euros and 600 million euros from the previous target of 350 million euros to 600 million euros. The upgrade came alongside the energy company's first-half earnings report, which showed its adjusted net income rose to 388 million euros from 135 million euros a year ago. "Uniper's H1 print adds to the European utilities guidance-upgrade theme, with FY26 [EBITDA/net income] mid-points raised meaningfully despite mixed operations. We see this as sector-positive, but retain our [underweight rating] on relative valuation: Uniper's premium multiple leaves better risk/reward elsewhere," research firm Barclays wrote. The German energy company was up 5.48% on Xetra.