BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks edged lower in cautious trade on Wednesday as the latest batch of earnings proved to be a mixed bag and U.S. President Donald Trump again took aim at China, urging the country to be transparent about the origins of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
'We want them to be transparent. We want to find out what happened so it never happens again,' Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
As many countries ease lockdown measures, investors also remain concerned about a potential second wave of infections.
The benchmark DAX slipped 12 points, or 0.12 percent, to 10,717 after climbing 2.5 percent in the previous session.
Dialysis specialist Fresenius Medical Care rallied 2.4 percent after reporting better-than-expected first-quarter earnings.
Schaeffler surged 8.4 percent after reporting robust earnings and strong free cash flow for the first quarter.
Hannover Re rose 4 percent. The reinsurance giant withdrew its 2020 guidance after posting solid results in the first quarter.
BMW tumbled 3 percent after the automaker cut its automotive profit margin forecast for 2020 to between zero and 3 percent.
Professional kitchen specialist Rational AG fell about 1 percent after posting lower profits and sales in the first quarter.
Specialty chemicals maker Lanxess gained 2.7 percent despite cutting its full-year profit guidance.
In economic news, Germany's factory orders declined the most since the records began in 1991, due to the coronavirus pandemic, data published by Destatis revealed.
Factory orders declined sharply by 15.6 percent on a monthly basis in March, much bigger than the 1.2 percent drop logged in February. This was the biggest fall since January 1991.
On a yearly basis, factory orders were down 16 percent, in contrast to a 1.9 percent rise in February.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX