Lufthansa $LHA (+0,97%) is facing a challenge: a ruling by the Cologne Regional Court has decided that the airline may no longer use certain CO₂ statements in its advertising. Deutsche Umwelthilfe has won an important victory in this case and the court has upheld the claim in full. Although the ruling is not yet final, the impact on Lufthansa's marketing strategies could be significant. Especially at a time when sustainability is becoming increasingly important to travelers, this could fundamentally change the way the airline presents its environmentally friendly offers and force it to find more creative approaches to appeal to its customers.

In Germany, the DAX $LYY7 (+0,41%) is relatively stable on Tuesday. The leading German index is expected to rise slightly by 0.1 percent to around 22,874 points before the start of trading. Investors seem to be looking for a clear direction, while the Asian markets are developing unevenly. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo is up 0.46 percent, while the Shanghai Composite is down 0.10 percent and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong is even down 2.25 percent. Market participants are keeping a close eye on current developments and are waiting for further impetus to make their decisions. It remains to be seen whether the markets will stabilize in the coming days or whether we will see further movements.

It will be exciting in the evening when GameStop $GME opens its books and presents its key figures for the past quarter. Analysts have high expectations for the figures, which could draw investors' attention to the share. Developments surrounding GameStop are always a hot topic and could also influence the general market situation. In other news, Hyundai is causing a stir with the announcement of a 21 billion dollar investment in the US, which could bring additional movement to the markets. At the same time, Heidelberg Materials and Jenoptik have announced that they will increase their dividends, which is a positive signal for investors and boosts confidence in the companies.

Sources:

https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/lufthansa-gericht-verbietet-bestimmte-co-aussagen-in-werbung-a-b56dd3de-cccc-46ba-9ec3-b4d8e27ae0e4

https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/10-vor-9-die-wichtigsten-10-fakten-fuer-anleger-am-dienstag-gamestop-vor-bilanzvorlage-14320872

Ten years ago, the stock markets were an exclusive playground for banks, fund managers and hedge funds. Small investors? They were mostly spectators who occasionally bought a DAX share and then left it for 20 years. But today? Today they are causing turbulence on Wall Street, driving share prices to absurd heights - and even causing hedge funds worth billions to falter.

From nobodies to market whisperers

In 2015, the stock market world was still clearly divided: Institutional investors had the knowledge, the networks and the capital, while retail investors tended to invest on the side - often blindly on the recommendation of their bank advisor. But that has changed drastically.

Three major factors have fueled this development:

1. trading apps & fee-free trading: thanks to apps such as Trade Republic or Robinhood, anyone can buy shares with just a few clicks - without high fees, without complicated order masks.

2. social media as a stock market advisor: Platforms such as Twitter and YouTube have replaced the traditional financial advisor. Today, trends in social media determine which shares go through the roof.

3. access to knowledge & data: Banks used to have the information advantage. Today, every retail investor has access to analyses, key financial figures and AI-supported trading tools.

GameStop & Co. - How retail investors are rewriting the stock market

Probably the best-known case: $GME .

In 2021, small investors took on hedge funds worth billions who sold the video game retailer's shares short. The online community got organized, drove up the share price and forced the professionals to buy in at a high price. The result? Hedge funds such as Melvin Capital lost billions - David had indeed dealt a blow to Goliath.

It was a similar story with $AMC (-0,81%) .

Actually a movie theater chain on the decline, but thanks to massive buying from the Internet, the share price rose to absurd heights. The small investors didn't care whether it was economically justified or not - they wanted to challenge "the big boys".

German retail investors in 2025 - what makes them tick today

In Germany, we are traditionally more cautious. But a lot has changed here too:

The securities assets of German households are about to break the 2 trillion euro mark - a record.

57.2% of German private investors' financial assets are now invested in ETFs, particularly on the MSCI World or the FTSE All-World.

Most popular stocks? Alongside US giants such as $NVDA (-1,35%) , $MSFT (-0,72%) and $TSLA (+0,65%) many are also betting on current hypes such as $RHM (-0,95%) , $NU (+2,52%) or $HIMS (+1,78%) .

Is this the democratization of the financial markets - or a new bubble?

On the one hand, it's great: private investors have never had as much power as they do today. They are informed, networked and heavily involved. On the other hand, when share prices are no longer determined by company figures but by viral trends, this can be dangerous.

Because in the end, the stock market is still not a casino. Or is it?

What do you think? Are retail investors an asset for the market or more of a risk?

The rally in GameStop shares ($GME) continues! 🚀 In the last trading week, the share price rose by over nine percent, despite the turbulent times for the video game retailer. The current share price is around USD 27.09.

A major topic is the planned sale of the stores in France and Canada. GameStop wants to streamline its international activities and focus on the essentials. That sounds like a clear plan, doesn't it? 🤔 But what do you think - is this the right path for GameStop?

The company also delivered positive surprises in the last quarter. Instead of reporting a loss, it was in the black, even though revenue was down. With a cash balance of 4.6 billion dollars, GameStop has a certain amount of leeway.

What do you think of this development? Can GameStop keep up the momentum or is this just a flash in the pan? 📈