German shares rose slightly on Thursday on positive news from the US and UK. Speculation that China is preparing to ease its prudent monetary policy also boosted German shares. However, fading hopes for QE3 in the US capped the upswing of the equities. The DAX Index added 0.15% to trade at 6,952.63 at GMT 12:00. Seven out of nine sectors included in the index edged up. Consumer services and utilities were the major gainers. Metro advanced by 1.51% while E.ON and RWE rose by 0.92% and 0.14%. Financials were mixed. Commerzbank jumped by 1.44% while Deutsche Boerse retreated by 0.22%. At the same time, technology companies created heavy pressure on the German blue chips index. Shares of the German largest software firm, SAP, declined by 0.65%.