German stocks presented a subdued performance on Thursday, in light of the Federal Reserve's implication to maintain relatively high interest rates for an extended period.
Investors overlooked a survey result indicating that Germany's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector reached a two-month peak of 42.5 in April, rising from 41.9 in March.
Resuming trading after the May Day holiday, the key German stock market index, the DAX, experienced a slight dip of 6 points, settling at 17,925.
In company-specific news, despite exceeding profit forecasts for the first quarter and predicting growth in the upcoming year, fashion giant Hugo Boss witnessed a 3.7 percent downfall in their shares.
Wind power company, Nordex, similarly saw a 1 percent drop in its stock, even with the acquisition of a 148-megawatt turbine order for a confidential wind project based in California.
Kitchen equipment manufacturer Rational AG registered a 1.6 percent fall in stocks. This occurred despite the company affirming its annual forecast post a reported increase in net earnings for the first quarter, attributable to a surge in sales.