Börse im Blick: Quartalszahlen aus zwei mutmaßlich unattraktiven Branchen überraschen

The annual reporting season for the third quarter has been in full swing this week, with significant surprises emerging from seemingly stagnant or even dull industries within the DAX. Deutsche Bank, a financial powerhouse, reported a net profit of 1.6 billion euros from July to September, exceeding analysts' expectations. The growth drivers behind this success are the wealth management division, which has seen record inflows, and the private and corporate banking sectors.

The bank's net interest income amounted to 3.7 billion euros, boosted by the sharp increase in interest rates across Europe and the United States. BASF, Europe's largest chemical manufacturer, has raised its profit forecast for the second time this year. The company's success stems from the consequences of the Iran war, enabling it to raise its sales prices significantly.

BASF's joint venture sites, where facilities are closely interconnected, allowing for direct conversion of intermediate products, have proven to be more resilient during these challenging times. Ludwigshafen, the oldest joint venture location, has been producing in this manner since the globalisation boom began after the collapse of communist states in Eastern Europe and Asia at the turn of the millennium.

Free trade agreements and increasingly favorable supply routes have made it more profitable to produce products in various continents and transport them around the world. However, recent trade restrictions imposed by various countries, particularly the United States under former President Donald Trump, have made local production more cost-effective.

The financial and chemical sectors have long been considered unattractive on stock markets, overshadowed by technology and armaments. Nonetheless, rising interest rates and geopolitical crises have caused a turnaround, or at least halted the downward trend, as evidenced by the Deutsche Bank share price more than tripling since the end of the zero-interest phase in the Eurozone in summer 2022.

The BASF share has experienced a 15% increase since the start of the US attack on Iran in spring 2026. For long-term investors, this presents a valuable lesson: diversifying investments rather than relying solely on individual boom industries. Some of the most successful companies, like Rheinmetall, have experienced substantial losses over recent years, highlighting the importance of long-term investment strategies and the potential pitfalls of attempting to time the market perfectly.