The Dax rose by 0.52 percent to 13,986.40 points by midday on Friday. Only the previous day had the leading German index left the recovery path it had taken in the middle of the week. Bargain hunters now mainly grabbed the big loser stocks of the year. After strong price fluctuations in the past few days, the last trading day before Christmas was noticeably calmer.

Things went even better in the MDax for medium-sized companies, which increased by 1.09 percent to 25,378.80 points. The leading eurozone index, the EuroStoxx 50, was almost flat with a slight minus.