Overview
- DAX companies posted a 4.4% year‑on‑year profit increase in the first quarter even as total revenue fell 3.7%, according to a new EY analysis.
- Banks and insurers delivered a 15.9% profit jump and a record first‑quarter result, while industrial firms managed only 0.5% growth and logged their second‑weakest quarter in six years.
- Sales performance split by region, with a 2% rise in Europe contrasted by declines of 5% in North America and 14% in Asia.
- Headcount across the index fell about 1% to 3.13 million, which is roughly 31,000 fewer jobs than a year earlier.
- Deutsche Telekom, Allianz and Eon reported the largest quarterly profits, while Eon, Siemens Energy and Munich Re led profit growth, and EY warned that high domestic costs and fiercer Chinese competition are eroding the old export model.