German shares lost on Wednesday, with the benchmark DAX index down 169.75 points, or 1.39 percent, to close at 12,040.46 points.

European health care company Fresenius SE lost the most among the blue chips, down by 2.50 percent, followed by semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies and energy group RWE, which lost 2.47 percent and 2.45 percent respectively.

Commerzbank, German airlines Lufthansa and automotive manufacturer Daimler were the top three winners, rising 2.87 percent, 0.45 percent and 0.15 percent respectively.

Multinational chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer was the most traded share of the day with a turnover of 397.45 million euros (460.24 million U.S. dollars). Enditem