FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - The German stock market rose for the third day in a row on Friday. "Hopes of interest rate cuts in the USA in the near future are creating a stable environment", writes Landesbank Helaba in a market commentary. The previous day, a decline in inflation in the USA in June had once again fueled expectations of interest rate cuts by the Fed in the near future.

The leading Dax index rose by 0.2 percent to 18,568 points in early Xetra trading on Friday. This marks a high since the beginning of June. Over the week, the Dax is heading for a gain of half a percent. The MDax of mid-cap blue chips gained 0.2 percent to 25,790 points in the morning. The EuroStoxx 50, the leading eurozone index, also held up well./bek/jha/