The largest interest rate hike in the history of the euro zone and statements by currency watchdogs scared investors on Thursday only briefly. With a tailwind from the rising US stock exchanges, the Dax almost made up for its losses, which were significant at times.

The Dax remained within sight of the 13,000-point mark, which it had dared to cross briefly at the start. After a minus of almost 1.8 percent at the top, it leveled off at 12,904.32 points with a slight discount of 0.09 percent. The MDax made a clear gain of 0.52 percent at 25,126.08 points.

The interest rate hike by the European Central Bank by 0.75 percentage points was expected by many. ECB President Christine Lagarde described further interest rate hikes in the coming months as likely, as well as a weakening of the economy.