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The DAX rose 0.2% on Friday, nearing the 24,200 level, a mark not seen since March 2nd, and remained on track to close the week roughly 1.5% higher. Sentiment was supported by growing optimism that the conflict involving Iran could ease soon, potentially leading to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. US President Trump said it is “looking very good” that a deal with Iran could be reached, adding that talks may resume over the weekend. He also claimed, without providing evidence, that Iran had agreed to terms it has previously resisted. SAP was among the top performers with a 2.6% rise, while Deutsche Telekom (+0.6%), Airbus (+0.6%), and BMW (+0.5%) also advanced. In contrast, Mercedes-Benz dropped nearly 4%, marking its third consecutive session of losses. RWE (-2%) and Bayer (-1.4%) were also in negative territory.

DAX Approaches Pre-War Levels

The Eurozone’s current account surplus widened to €21.1 billion in February 2026 from €18.1 billion in the same month last year, driven by a stronger services surplus, which rose to €8.6 billion from €4.7 billion, and a shift in the primary income to balance from a previous deficit of €7.7 billion. However, the goods surplus narrowed to €29.1 billion from €36.4 billion, while the secondary income deficit increased to €16.6 billion from €15.4 billion. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the current account surplus fell to €25 billion in February, down sharply from an upwardly revised €40.4 billion in January.

Eurozone Current Account Surplus Rises in February

Italy recorded a current account surplus of EUR 3.6 billion in February 2026, expanding sharply from EUR 1.1 billion in the same month a year ago. This was the largest current account surplus since July 2025, driven by a wider surplus in goods (EUR 4.9 billion vs EUR 4.5 billion in February 2025) and the primary income (EUR 1.1 billion vs EUR 0.2 billion). Additionally, the services deficit shrank to EUR 0.6 billion from EUR 1.6 billion last year, and the secondary income gap also edged down to EUR 1.8 billion from EUR 1.9 billion.

Italy Current Account Surplus Widens Sharply in February

The FTSE 100 traded lower on Friday, though the index remains broadly flat for a seventh straight session, with moves contained within a narrow range as sentiment stays cautious. Investors are awaiting further clarity on a potential US-Iran peace deal after President Donald Trump said Tehran had made key concessions and that an agreement could be announced fairly soon, although Iran has not confirmed this. SSE and Centrica dropped more than 5% each, leading losses amid concerns over plans to decouple gas and electricity prices and the potential hit to earnings. Beyond utilities, weakness was also seen across financials, energy and materials, which mostly traded in negative territory.

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