DAX Stock Index: Definition and Member Companies (2024)

What Is the DAX Stock Index?

The DAX—also known as the Deutscher Aktien Index or the GER40—is a stock index that represents 40 of the largest and most liquid German companies that trade on the Frankfurt Exchange. The prices used to calculate the DAX Index come through Xetra, an electronic trading system. A free-float methodology is used to calculate the index weightings along with a measure of the average trading volume.

The DAX was created in 1988 with a starting index level of 1,163 points. DAX member companies represent roughly 80% of the aggregate market capitalization that trades on the Frankfurt Exchange. The index was historically comprised of 30 companies but was expanded to 40 as of Sept. 3, 2021.

Key Takeaways

  • The DAX is a German blue-chip stock market index that tracks the performance of the 40 largest companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
  • Xetra is an electronic trading system that provides the prices used to calculate the DAX index.
  • The DAX is a prominent benchmark for German and European stocks, listing major companies by liquidity and market capitalization, and an indicator of trends in Germany's economy.
  • A few of the globally recognized companies on the DAX include Volkswagen, Bayer, BMW, and Adidas.

Understanding the DAX Stock Index

The DAX index, which tracks 40 large and actively traded German companies, is considered by many analysts to be a gauge for Germany's economic health. The companies listed in the DAX are multinational concerns that influence the domestic German economy and the global economy as well. The success of these companies has greatly contributed to what is known as the "German economic miracle" or Wirtschaftswunder, a term that describes Germany's rebirth after World War II.

The companies in the DAX index span a wide range of industries. For example, Bayer AG is a pharmaceutical and consumer health company founded in 1863 and is well-known for its pain and allergy-relief products. Allianz SE is a global financial services company that focuses on providing customers with insurance and asset management products. Adidas AG develops, manufactures, and markets popular athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment.

Special Considerations

In a different twist from most indices, the DAX is updated with futures prices for the next day, even after the main stock exchange has closed. Changes are made on regular review dates, but index members can be removed if they no longer rank in the top 45 largest companies, or added if they break the top 25.

The vast majority of shares on the Frankfurt Exchange now trade on the all-electronic Xetra system, with a near-95% adoption rate for the stocks of the 40 DAX members.

As a blue-chip stock market index, the DAX is very similar to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), which also tracks large, publicly owned companies.

DAX Member Companies

As of Jan. 25, 2022, four months after the index's major expansion, the DAX companies included (in alphabetical order):

  • Airbus SE (AIR:GR)*
  • Adidas AG (ADS:GR)
  • Allianz SE (ALV:GR)
  • BASF SE (BAS:GR)
  • Bayer AG (BAYN:GR)
  • Beiersdorf AG (BEI:GR)
  • Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW:GR)
  • Brenntag SE(BNR:GR)*
  • Continental AG (CON:GR)
  • Covestro AG (1COV:GR)
  • Daimler AG (DAI:GR)
  • Delivery Hero SE (DHER:GE)
  • Deutsche Boerse AG (DB1:GR)
  • Deutsche Bank AG (DBK:GR)
  • Deutsche Post AG (DPW:GR)
  • Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE:GR)
  • E.ON SE (EOAN:GR)
  • Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (FME.GR)
  • Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA (FRE:GR)
  • HeidelbergCement AG (HEI:GR)
  • HelloFresh SE (HFG:GR)*
  • Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (HEN3:GR)
  • Infineon Technologies AG (IFX:GR)
  • Linde PLC (LIN:GR)
  • Merck KGaA (MRK:GR)
  • MTU Aero Engines AG (MTX:GR)
  • Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG in Muenchen (MUV2:GR)
  • Porsche Automobil Holding(PAH3:GR)*
  • Puma SE(PUM:GR)*
  • Qiagen N.V.(QIA:GR)*
  • RWE AG (RWE:GR)
  • SAP SE (SAP:GR)
  • Sartorius AG Vz (SRT3:GR)*
  • Siemens AG (SIE:GR)
  • Siemens Energy AG (ENR:GR)
  • Siemens Healthineers AG (SHL:GR)*
  • Symrise AG (SY1:GR)*
  • Vonovia SE (VNA:GR)
  • Volkswagen AG (VOW3:GR)
  • Zalando SE (ZAL:GR)*

*one of the 10 firms added in September 2021

Other Major Stock Exchanges

Other major trading exchanges worldwide include:

  • The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
  • The Nasdaq
  • The London Stock Exchange (LSE)
  • The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE)
DAX Stock Index: Definition and Member Companies (2024)

FAQs

How many companies are in the DAX index? ›

DAX Futures Symbol

The DAX Index refers to the Deutsche Aktienindex, a stock market index comprising 40 major German blue-chip companies.

How is the dax index calculated? ›

The calculation formula of DAX ® is based on the work of the mathematician Étienne Laspeyres and uses values for the prices of the companies at the current calculation date, the closing prices of the considered companies on the trading day before the first inclusion in an index of the stock exchange, the freely ...

What are the top 5 companies in ger30? ›

Based on market capitalization, the five biggest German companies listed in the DAX 30 are Bayer (BAYN), Daimler (DAI), Siemens (SIE), Allianz (ALV) and BASF (BAS). The development in the DAX is often seen as an indicator for the development of the German economy.

How does the DAX index work? ›

The DAX is calculated using a free-float methodology, weighted by market cap. This means that it only takes readily available shares into account, disregarding any that can't be traded. And that companies with larger market capitalisations will have a greater impact on its price.

How many companies are in the total stock market index? ›

The CRSP U.S. Total Market index is a well-known indicator of the performance of the US stock market as a whole. It includes almost 4000 companies across mega, large, small and micro capitalizations and covers nearly 100% of the US investable equity market.

What is a DAX formula? ›

DAX is a formula language. You can use DAX to define custom calculations for Calculated Columns and for Measures (also known as calculated fields). DAX includes some of the functions used in Excel formulas, and additional functions designed to work with relational data and perform dynamic aggregation.

Which country is the origin of DAX index? ›

The DAX (Deutscher Aktien Index) is a stock index based out of Germany that represents the 30 biggest German companies that trade on the Frankfurt Exchange. The index value is calculated every second based on Xetra technology.

What affects DAX index? ›

The DAX is calculated by weighing all its 40 listed stocks by market capitalisation. This means that bigger companies with a higher market capitalisation, such as Bayer or Adidas or Volkswagen, will be weighted more 'heavily' than smaller companies and will have a larger effect on the index's overall price.

What is the largest German stock market? ›

With its two marketplaces, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is the most important German trading centre for securities. 1.5 million securities of German and international providers are traded on the largest German stock exchange.

What is the best time to trade GER30? ›

The best time to trade GER30 for South African traders often overlaps with the opening hours of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. The overlap occurs between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM SAST when both markets are active.

What is the yield of the DAX index? ›

DAX Dividend Information

DAX has a dividend yield of 2.42% and paid $0.76 per share in the past year.

How is DAX index weighted? ›

The selection of index components is based on free float market capitalization. The index weighting of an individual share is capped at 15%.

What index tracks the 500 largest companies? ›

The S&P 500 is an index that tracks the stock market's performance based on the share price fluctuations of 500 of the largest companies in the United States.

What index includes the top 30 US companies? ›

The Dow 30 is a stock index comprised of 30 large, publicly-traded U.S. companies that acts as a barometer of the U.S. stock market and economy. A constituent is a single stock or company that is part of a larger index such as the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Average.

What is the index of 500 large US companies? ›

The S&P 500—the Standard & Poor's 500 Index—is considered to be one of the best measures of U.S. stock market performance, tracking 500 of the largest and most stable publicly traded companies in the country.

How many companies are in the Russell index? ›

The Russell 3000 Index measures the performance of 3,000 stocks and includes all large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap US equities, along with some microcap stocks. The index is designed to represent approximately 98% of investable US equities by market capitalization.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Errol Quitzon

Last Updated:

Views: 5919

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Errol Quitzon

Birthday: 1993-04-02

Address: 70604 Haley Lane, Port Weldonside, TN 99233-0942

Phone: +9665282866296

Job: Product Retail Agent

Hobby: Computer programming, Horseback riding, Hooping, Dance, Ice skating, Backpacking, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.