German equities were back in the red on Thursday as the latest threat of US tariffs, this time on wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages from the European Union, wiped out earlier gains.
Tracking a Europe-wide retreat, the blue-chip DAX index was 0.48% closer at closing.
In a social media post, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 200% tariff on “all wines, champagnes and alcoholic products coming out of France and other EU represented countries” as the bloc included US whiskey in its planned countermeasures. The EU earlier said its retaliatory tariffs would take full effect on April 13, though it “will always remain open to negotiations.”
On the macroeconomic front, monthly industrial production in the euro area rose 0.8% in January, recovering from the revised 0.4% decline in the previous month and surpassing the expected 0.6% increase. Annually, the eurozone’s industrial output was flat.
“The outlook for industrial production is shifting, but the question is when real relief is going to come,” ING wrote. “Overall, the light at the end of the tunnel has become stronger, but the question of when the end will be reached remains as unclear as ever.”
In corporate news, Daimler Truck Holding 
DTG lost 4.44%, the index’s worst-performing stock, after the US Environmental Protection Agency said it would consider the reversal of vehicle emissions rules put in place by the previous administration.
Hannover Re 
HNR1 reported an annual increase in its net income and reinsurance revenue for 2024, allowing the group to increase its total dividend by 25%. For 2025, the German reinsurer is targeting a group net income of 2.4 billion euros. The stock was 0.70% higher at closing.