DAX facts for kids
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| Foundation | 1 July 1988 |
|---|---|
| Operator | STOXX (Qontigo, Deutsche Börse) |
| Exchanges | Frankfurt Stock Exchange |
| Constituents | 40 (expanded from 30 in 2021) |
| Type | Large cap |
| Market cap | €1,891 billion (March 2025) |
| Weighting method | Capitalization-weighted |
| Related indices | MDAX, SDAX, TecDAX, ÖkoDAX |
| Website | DAX homepage |
The DAX (which stands for Deutscher Aktienindex, or German stock index) is a special list of the 40 biggest and most important companies in Germany. These companies trade their shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Think of the DAX as a report card that shows how well these top German companies are doing overall.
The DAX is like the UK's FTSE 100 or the US Dow Jones Industrial Average. It helps people see how the biggest companies in Germany are performing. The prices used for the DAX come from a special electronic trading system called Xetra.
There are also other versions of the DAX that show how it performs at different times of the day. The L-DAX Index shows how the DAX is doing after the main Xetra trading hours close. It uses prices from the traditional trading floor in Frankfurt. The L/E-DAX index covers even more hours, from late evening to early morning.
The DAX started on December 30, 1987, with a starting value of 1,000 points. Since January 1, 2006, the Xetra system updates the DAX value every single second.
In November 2020, the DAX was changed to include more companies. It grew from 30 to 40 members in the third quarter of 2021. This change also brought in stricter rules for companies to be part of the index.
Contents
Different Ways to Look at DAX
The DAX has two main types: the performance index and the price index.
- The performance index includes the money companies pay out to their shareholders (called dividends). This is the one most people talk about.
- The price index only looks at the share prices themselves, without including dividends. This version is more like what you see for indexes in some other countries.
DAX's Journey Through Time
On March 16, 2015, the DAX performance index reached a new high, closing above 12,000 points for the first time.
Highest Points for DAX
The DAX has reached some impressive highs.
| Category | All-time highs | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Closing | 23,499.32 | Friday, 9 May 2025 |
| Intraday | 23,543.27 | Friday, 9 May 2025 |
DAX's Yearly Performance
This table shows how the DAX has changed each year, going all the way back to 1950. It helps you see how much the index went up or down over time.
| Year | Closing level | Change in Index in Points |
Change in Index in % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 30.18 | −2.42 | −7.42 |
| 1951 | 65.01 | 34.83 | 115.41 |
| 1952 | 59.75 | −5.26 | −8.09 |
| 1953 | 74.09 | 14.34 | 24.00 |
| 1954 | 135.28 | 61.19 | 82.59 |
| 1955 | 148.81 | 13.53 | 10.00 |
| 1956 | 137.80 | −11.01 | −7.40 |
| 1957 | 144.97 | 7.17 | 5.20 |
| 1958 | 232.23 | 87.26 | 60.19 |
| 1959 | 417.79 | 185.56 | 79.90 |
| 1960 | 534.09 | 116.30 | 27.84 |
| 1961 | 489.79 | −44.30 | −8.29 |
| 1962 | 386.32 | −103.47 | −21.13 |
| 1963 | 438.95 | 52.63 | 13.62 |
| 1964 | 477.89 | 38.94 | 8.87 |
| 1965 | 422.36 | −55.53 | −11.62 |
| 1966 | 333.36 | −89.00 | −21.07 |
| 1967 | 503.22 | 169.86 | 50.95 |
| 1968 | 555.62 | 52.40 | 10.41 |
| 1969 | 622.38 | 66.76 | 12.02 |
| 1970 | 443.86 | −178.52 | −28.68 |
| 1971 | 473.46 | 29.60 | 6.67 |
| 1972 | 536.36 | 62.90 | 13.29 |
| 1973 | 403.88 | −132.48 | −24.70 |
| 1974 | 401.79 | −2.09 | −0.52 |
| 1975 | 563.25 | 161.46 | 40.19 |
| 1976 | 509.02 | −54.23 | −9.63 |
| 1977 | 549.34 | 40.32 | 7.92 |
| 1978 | 575.15 | 25.81 | 4.70 |
| 1979 | 497.79 | −77.36 | −13.45 |
| 1980 | 480.92 | −16.87 | −3.39 |
| 1981 | 490.39 | 9.47 | 1.97 |
| 1982 | 552.77 | 62.38 | 12.72 |
| 1983 | 773.95 | 221.18 | 40.01 |
| 1984 | 820.91 | 46.96 | 6.07 |
| 1985 | 1,366.23 | 545.32 | 66.43 |
| 1986 | 1,432.25 | 66.02 | 4.83 |
| 1987 | 1,000.00 | −432.25 | −30.18 |
| 1988 | 1,327.87 | 327.87 | 32.79 |
| 1989 | 1,790.37 | 462.50 | 34.83 |
| 1990 | 1,398.23 | −392.14 | −21.90 |
| 1991 | 1,577.98 | 179.75 | 12.86 |
| 1992 | 1,545.05 | −32.93 | −2.09 |
| 1993 | 2,266.68 | 721.63 | 46.71 |
| 1994 | 2,106.58 | −160.10 | −7.06 |
| 1995 | 2,253.88 | 147.30 | 6.99 |
| 1996 | 2,888.69 | 634.81 | 28.17 |
| 1997 | 4,249.69 | 1,361.00 | 47.11 |
| 1998 | 5,002.39 | 752.70 | 17.71 |
| 1999 | 6,958.14 | 1,955.75 | 39.10 |
| 2000 | 6,433.61 | −524.53 | −7.54 |
| 2001 | 5,160.10 | −1,273.51 | −19.79 |
| 2002 | 2,892.63 | −2,267.47 | −43.94 |
| 2003 | 3,965.16 | 1,072.53 | 37.08 |
| 2004 | 4,256.08 | 290.92 | 7.34 |
| 2005 | 5,408.26 | 1,152.18 | 27.07 |
| 2006 | 6,596.92 | 1,188.66 | 21.98 |
| 2007 | 8,067.32 | 1,470.40 | 22.29 |
| 2008 | 4,810.20 | −3,257.12 | −40.37 |
| 2009 | 5,957.43 | 1,147.23 | 23.85 |
| 2010 | 6,914.19 | 956.76 | 16.06 |
| 2011 | 5,898.35 | −1,015.84 | −14.69 |
| 2012 | 7,612.39 | 1,714.04 | 29.06 |
| 2013 | 9,552.16 | 1,939.77 | 24.77 |
| 2014 | 9,805.55 | 253.39 | 2.65 |
| 2015 | 10,743.01 | 937.46 | 9.56 |
| 2016 | 11,481.06 | 738.05 | 6.87 |
| 2017 | 12,917.64 | 1,436.58 | 12.51 |
| 2018 | 10,558.96 | −2,358.68 | −18.26 |
| 2019 | 13,249.01 | 2,690.05 | 25.48 |
| 2020 | 13,718.78 | 469.77 | 3.55 |
| 2021 | 15,884.86 | 2,166.08 | 15.79 |
| 2022 | 13,923.59 | −1,961.27 | −12.35 |
| 2023 | 16,751.64 | 2,828.05 | 20.31 |
| 2024 | 19,909.14 | 3157.50 | 18.85 |
Companies in the DAX
As of March 20, 2023, these are the companies that make up the DAX 40. You can find their current stock prices on financial websites.
| Logo | Company | Prime Standard Sector | Ticker | Index weighting (%) | Employees | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Adidas | Apparel | ADS.DE | 2.0 | 61,401 (2021) | 1924 |
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Airbus | Aerospace & Defence | AIR.PA | 6.0 | 126,495 (2021) | 1970 |
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Allianz | Financial Services | ALV.DE | 7.1 | 155,411 (2021) | 1890 |
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BASF | Chemicals | BAS.DE | 3.5 | 111,047 (2021) | 1865 |
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Bayer | Pharmaceuticals | BAYN.DE | 4.8 | 99,637 (2021) | 1863 |
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Beiersdorf | Consumer goods | BEI.DE | 0.9 | 20,567 (2021) | 1882 |
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BMW | Automotive | BMW.DE | 2.5 | 118,909 (2021) | 1916 |
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Brenntag | Distribution | BNR.DE | 0.9 | 17,200 (2021) | 1874 |
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Commerzbank | Financial Services | CBK.DE | 0.8 | 40,181 (2021) | 1870 |
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Continental | Automotive | CON.DE | 0.6 | 190,875 (2021) | 1871 |
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Covestro | Chemicals | 1COV.DE | 0.6 | 17,909 (2021) | 2015 |
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Daimler Truck | Automotive | DTG.DE | 1.1 | 99,849 (2021) | 2021 |
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Deutsche Bank | Financial Services | DBK.DE | 1.6 | 82,969 (2021) | 1870 |
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Deutsche Börse | Financial Services | DB1.DE | 2.7 | 10,200 (2021) | 1992 |
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Deutsche Post | Logistics | DHL.DE | 3.4 | 592,263 (2021) | 1995 |
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Deutsche Telekom | Telecommunication | DTE.DE | 6.5 | 216,528 (2021) | 1995 |
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E.ON | Utilities | EOAN.DE | 1.9 | 78,126 (2021) | 2000 |
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Fresenius | Healthcare | FRE.DE | 0.8 | 316,078 (2021) | 1912 |
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Fresenius Medical Care | Healthcare | FME.DE | TBD | 130,251 (2021) | 1996 |
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Hannover Re | Insurance | HNR1.DE | 0.8 | 3,346 (2021) | 1966 |
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Heidelberg Materials | Construction Materials | HEI.DE | 0.7 | 51,209 (2021) | 1874 |
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Henkel | Consumer Goods | HEN3.DE | 0.9 | 52,450 (2021) | 1876 |
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Infineon Technologies | Technology | IFX.DE | 3.9 | 50,280 (2021) | 1999 |
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Mercedes-Benz Group | Automotive | MBG.DE | 4.8 | 172,000 (2021) | 1926 |
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Merck | Pharmaceuticals | MRK.DE | 1.8 | 8,081 (2021) | 1668 |
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MTU Aero Engines | Aerospace & Defence | MTX.DE | 1.0 | 10,833 (2022) | 1934 |
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Munich Re | Financial Services | MUV2.DE | 3.6 | 40,177 (2022) | 1880 |
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Porsche | Automotive | P911.DE | 1.1 | 36,996 (2021) | 1931 |
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Porsche SE | Automotive | PAH3.DE | 0.6 | 882 (2021) | 2007 |
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Qiagen | Biotech | QIA.DE | 0.8 | 5,900 (2021) | 1984 |
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Rheinmetall | Aerospace & Defence | RHM.DE | 25,486 (2022) | 1889 | |
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RWE | Utilities | RWE.DE | 2.2 | 18,246 (2021) | 1898 |
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SAP | Technology | SAP.DE | 10.1 | 107,415 (2021) | 1972 |
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Sartorius | Medical Technology | SRT3.DE | 0.8 | 18,832 (2021) | 1870 |
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Siemens | Industrials | SIE.DE | 9.0 | 303,000 (2021) | 1847 |
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Siemens Energy | Energy technology | ENR.DE | 0.7 | 92,000 (2021) | 2020 |
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Siemens Healthineers | Medical Equipment | SHL.DE | 1.2 | 66,000 (2021) | 2020 |
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Symrise | Chemicals | SY1.DE | 1.1 | 11,276 (2021) | 2003 |
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Volkswagen Group | Automotive | VOW3.DE | 2.4 | 672,800 (2021) | 1937 |
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Vonovia | Real Estate | VNA.DE | 1.1 | 15,900 (2022) | 2001 |
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Zalando | E-Commerce | ZAL.DE | 0.7 | 17,000 (2021) | 2008 |
: Weightings as of 23 March 2023
Companies That Used to Be in the DAX
Companies can join or leave the DAX list. This table shows some companies that were once part of the DAX and why they left.
| Date | Company Excluded | Company Included | Reason for Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03.09.1990 | Feldmühle Nobel | Metallgesellschaft | Taken over by another company |
| Nixdorf Germany | Preussag (now TUI) | Merged with Siemens | |
| 18.09.1995 | Deutsche Babcock | SAP | Replaced due to smaller company value |
| 22.07.1996 | Kaufhof | METRO | Merged with another company |
| 23.09.1996 | Continental | Münchener Rück | Continental was added back to the DAX on 22 September 2003, then left again in 2008, and returned in 2012. |
| 18.11.1996 | Metallgesellschaft | Deutsche Telekom | Deutsche Telekom started selling shares to the public |
| 22.06.1998 | Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechselbank | Adidas | Merged to form HypoVereinsbank |
| Bayerische Vereinsbank | HypoVereinsbank | ||
| 21.12.1998 | Daimler-Benz | DaimlerChrysler (now Daimler) |
Merged with Chrysler |
| 22.03.1999 | Degussa | Degussa-Hüls | Merged with another company |
| 25.03.1999 | Thyssen | ThyssenKrupp | Merged with Krupp |
| 20.09.1999 | Hoechst | Fresenius Medical Care | Merged with other companies |
| 14.02.2000 | Mannesmann | Epcos | Taken over by Vodafone |
| 19.06.2000 | Veba | E.ON | Merged to form E.ON |
| VIAG | Infineon | ||
| 18.12.2000 | Degussa-Hüls | Degussa | Merged with another company |
| 19.03.2001 | KarstadtQuelle | Deutsche Post | Deutsche Post started selling shares to the public |
| 23.07.2001 | Dresdner Bank | MLP Vz. | Taken over by Allianz |
| 23.09.2002 | Degussa | Altana | Company value was not high enough |
| 23.12.2002 | Epcos | Deutsche Börse | Company value became too low |
| 22.09.2003 | MLP | Continental | Company value was not high enough |
| 31.01.2005 | Lanxess | Lanxess was created from Bayer. It was temporarily added to the DAX, then removed, and later added again in 2012 before being removed in 2015. | |
| 01.02.2005 | Lanxess | ||
| 19.12.2005 | HypoVereinsbank | Hypo Real Estate | Taken over by UniCredit |
| 18.09.2006 | Schering | Postbank | Taken over by Bayer |
| 18.06.2007 | Altana | Merck | Company value was not high enough after selling part of its business |
| 22.09.2008 | TUI | K+S | K+S quickly joined, TUI's company value was not high enough |
| 22.12.2008 | Continental | Beiersdorf | Company value was not high enough after being bought by another group |
| 22.12.2008 | Hypo Real Estate | Salzgitter | Company value was not high enough after an investor bought a share, and its value dropped a lot during the 2008 financial crisis |
| 23.03.2009 | Deutsche Postbank | Hannover Re | Left due to company value not being high enough |
| Infineon Technologies | Fresenius Vz | ||
| 21.09.2009 | Hannover Re | Infineon Technologies | Company value was not high enough |
| 21.06.2010 | Salzgitter | HeidelbergCement | Company value was not high enough |
| 24.09.2012 | MAN | Continental | Company value was not high enough after being bought by Volkswagen |
| 24.09.2012 | Metro | Lanxess | Company value was not high enough |
| 21.09.2015 | Lanxess | Vonovia | Company value was not high enough |
| 21.03.2016 | K+S | ProSiebenSat.1 Media | Company value was not high enough |
| 19.03.2018 | ProSiebenSat.1 Media | Covestro | Company value was not high enough |
| 24.09.2018 | Commerzbank | Wirecard | Company value was not high enough |
| 23.09.2019 | ThyssenKrupp | MTU Aero Engines | Company value was not high enough |
| 22.06.2020 | Deutsche Lufthansa | Deutsche Wohnen | Company value was not high enough |
| 19.08.2020 | Wirecard | Delivery Hero | New rules about companies that are having financial difficulties |
| 22.03.2021 | Beiersdorf | Siemens Energy | Company value was not high enough |
| 16.09.2021 | Vitesco | Vitesco was created from Continental. It was temporarily added to the DAX, then removed. | |
| 17.09.2021 | Vitesco | ||
| 20.09.2021 | Airbus | 10 companies were added to make the DAX 40 companies in total | |
| Brenntag | |||
| HelloFresh | |||
| Porsche SE | |||
| Puma | |||
| Qiagen | |||
| Sartorius | |||
| Siemens Healthineers | |||
| Symrise | |||
| Zalando | |||
| 29.10.2021 | Deutsche Wohnen | Beiersdorf | |
| 10.12.2021 | Daimler Truck | Daimler Truck was created from Mercedes-Benz. It was temporarily added to the DAX, then removed, and later added again in 2022. | |
| 13.12.2021 | Daimler Truck | ||
| 21.03.2022 | Beiersdorf | Daimler Truck | |
| Siemens Energy | Hannover Re | ||
| 20.06.2022 | Delivery Hero | Beiersdorf | |
| 19.09.2022 | HelloFresh | Siemens Energy | |
| 19.12.2022 | Puma | Porsche | Porsche started selling shares to the public |
| 27.02.2023 | Linde | Commerzbank | Linde stopped trading on the Frankfurt stock exchange |
| 20.03.2023 | Fresenius Medical Care | Rheinmetall | |
| 27.12.2024 | Covestro AG | Fresenius Medical Care | Company value was not high enough |
Images for kids
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A look inside the Frankfurt Stock Exchange where DAX companies are traded.
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The main offices of some DAX companies in 2013.
More to Explore
- Stock market lists
- List of stock exchanges
- List of European stock exchanges
- Other lists
- List of largest German companies
- Other stock market indices
- List of stock market indices
- CDAX, a list of every German company that sells shares
- HDAX, a combination of the DAX, MDAX, and TecDAX lists
- MDAX, the next 50 largest companies after the DAX
- SDAX, the next 70 largest companies after the MDAX
- ÖkoDAX, the top 10 companies in renewable energy
- TecDAX, the top 30 technology companies
See also
In Spanish: DAX para niños
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DAX Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.