Germany's DAX 40 ended Thursday marginally lower at 26,292, extending losses to a second session while remaining close to record levels. The index had earlier been described in market commentary as trading around 26,460 in fresh record territory, but the final close showed a modest decline, following Wednesday's 0.2% fall after an intraday record of 26,574. Lower oil prices and U.S. inflation data showing headline inflation at 3.4% in July and core inflation at 2.5%, down from 2.6%, helped ease concerns about energy supply disruptions and additional Federal Reserve rate hikes, though uncertainty surrounding the Iran conflict kept investors cautious. RWE rose 2.5% after better-than-expected first-half profit, helped by a Dutch government compensation payment and stronger energy trading, and reaffirmed its 2026 dividend and long-term profit targets. BASF fell 2%, Mercedes-Benz Group lost 1.5% and Volkswagen dropped 1.3%, while Continental led gainers with a rise of around 3%.