Before the key interest rate decision by the European Central Bank (ECB) on early Thursday afternoon, the Dax had again reached the round mark of 13,000 points. In early trading, the leading index gained 0.70 percent to 13,006.71 points. It is thus further away from its interim low of 12,603 ​​points from the previous week.

Most economists expect the ECB to raise interest rates by 0.75 percentage points. Experts point to the extremely high inflation, which is now forcing the monetary authorities to act. In August, the annual inflation rate in the euro zone climbed to 9.1 percent, the highest since the euro was introduced.

The MDax of medium-sized stocks advanced a few minutes after opening on Thursday by 1.08 percent to 25,267.36 points. The Eurozone leading index EuroStoxx 50 was 0.6 percent higher.

Support comes from the most important US indices, which showed strength from the start on Wednesday and thus helped the Dax out of the loss zone in the afternoon. Relief came as the recent rise in bond yields paused. The Asian trading centers also reported profits on Thursday, especially in Japan things went uphill.