5 Top Stocks from Last Week

Stock markets across Europe rose after the ECB’s stimulus announcement. But some stocks rose more than others. Here are five top DAX and HDAX stocks from last week…and the reasons why they climbed so high.

1) The best DAX stock of the week

The stock of BMW (ETR:BMW) (FRA:BMW) had the best week of the DAX, roaring ahead nearly 9%. News of a price hike for BMW’s electric i3 (which offsets some added standard features) was coupled with Friday’s big news that BMW and Volkswagen (ETR:VOW) (FRA:VOW) are teaming up to build electric vehicle supercharging stations in busy corridors on the east and west coasts of the US. Factoring in the news that BMW will air an ad during the Superbowl this year – after a four-year hiatus – that will feature the i3, and things are looking, well, electric for the company.

2) The biggest one-day gain for a DAX stock

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (ETR:LHA) (FRA:LHA), which jumped 5% on Tuesday, as a Barclays analyst raised the price target to 18 euro from 12.8 euro. A contributing factor may also have been a report that airlines are unlikely to pass fuel savings on to passengers, which may leave travelers angry but investors feeling “first class.” But the stock fell again on Friday — almost 2% — on the news of security personnel strikes at airports in Stuttgart and Hamburg. That cut the weekly gain to just 4.33%.

3) The biggest one-day gain for an MDAX stock

Ruediger Kapitza, the CEO of machine tool maker DMG Mori Seiki AG (ETR:GIL) (FRA:GIL) announced that its Japanese counterpart had offered 27.50 euros per share in cash for the company, a value of nearly 2.2 billion euros, more than 30% above the firm’s average stock price. The companies said that the move would help increase market share. “I’m quite confident that by 2020 we can grow to 15% [market share],” said Masahiko Mori, President of the Japanese DMG Mori Seiki Co., Ltd. The stock rose just over 5% in response on Thursday.

4) The biggest one-day gain for a TecDAX stock

Solar panel manufacturer Manz AG (ETR:M5Z) (FRA:M5Z) benefitted last week from a MEED report that the Middle East/North Africa region is about to experience huge growth in solar energy, with an estimated $50 billion in investments by 2020. Manz is uniquely poised to benefit, as its CIGS “thin-film” solar panels are ideally suited for desert climates. The stock was up nearly 7% on Monday, which wasn’t just the best one-day performance of a TecDAX stock last week, but the best one-day performance of the entire HDAX.

5) The second-best DAX performer of the week

BMW took the crown of “Best-performing DAX Stock” this week, with its 8.95% gain, but chemical company LANXESS AG (ETR:LXS) (FRA:LXS) was close behind, with an 8.92% gain. However, while BMW’s gains came as a result of big news, LANXESS had very little. The company issued a new bond at the end of the week and… that’s about it. Other top DAX performers this week included potash and salt miner K+S, up 8.75%, Commerzbank AG, up 7.18%, and engineering specialist ThyssenKrupp, up 7.03%.