FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - German government bonds rose slightly by midday on Thursday. The benchmark Euro-Bund futures contract rose by 0.14 percent to 130.28 points. At the same time, the yield on ten-year Bunds fell to 2.57 percent.

Trading in the morning was unspectacular. While business sentiment in France deteriorated slightly, the consumer climate in Germany brightened. The improved consumer sentiment is in line with several economic data that have surprised positively in recent days. Most recently, the Ifo business climate and the S&P purchasing managers' indices had painted a somewhat more favorable economic picture.

In the afternoon, attention will turn to US economic data. The government publishes growth figures for the first quarter. So far, the economy has shown itself to be robust. There is no sign of the feared recession. The US central bank, the Fed, is therefore making no move to ease its tight monetary policy.

In Turkey, the central bank is deciding on its course. After numerous hikes, the key interest rate is now 50 percent. However, inflation is still significantly higher at almost 70 percent. "The tightening of monetary policy to date has not led to a noticeable improvement in inflation dynamics," according to a morning commentary by Commerzbank. On the contrary, inflation has recently risen again./bgf/jkr/zb