German shares edged lower at the start of trading Thursday on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange following the downturn the day before on Wall Street. Minutes into the new session, the benchmark 30-share DAX slipped 0.23 per cent to 4169 points, while the 70-share mid-caps MDAX fell by 0.30 per cent to 5667 points. The tech shares index TecDAX lost 0.77 per cent to 498 points. The euro firmed up further on European markets Thursday, with exchanges quoting 1.3101 dollars or 76.29 euro-cents per dollar. The rate was well up on the 1.3049 dollars reference mark set Wednesday by the European Central Bank, with the euro continuing to gain on the dollar amid signs of a weakening of the U.S. economy, analysts said.
