European equity markets expected slightly higher after Thursday's sharp decline. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 3,991.66 points (-2.13%), the CAC 40 at 6,396.73 points (-2.01%), the DAX 30 at 15,420.64 points (-1.73% ), the FTSE 100 at 7,030.66 points (-1.68%), the SMI at 11,924.66 points (-1.33%), the AEX at 723.11 points (-1.97%), the BEL 20 at 4,118.52 points (-1.41%), IBEX 35 at 8,650.10 points (-2.31%), DJIA at 34,421.93 points (-0.75%), Nasdaq at 14,559.78 points (-0.72%), the S&P 500 at 4,320.82 points (-0.86%) and the Nikkei 225 at 27,927.63 points (-0.67%).

Regarding the exchange rate, the variation compared to the close in New York indicates that the EUR/USD pair lost 0.10% to 1.1836 while the EUR/JPY gained 0.08%, i.e., 130.15 and USD/JPY opens at 109.97 with a rise of 0.19%.

In France, Bouygues, RTL Group and the audiovisual groups TF1 and M6 announced Thursday evening the signing between them of agreements relating to the merger of TF1 and M6. The employee representative bodies of Bouygues, TF1 and M6 "unanimously approved" on June 24 the proposed merger of the TF1 and M6 groups, indicated the two audiovisual groups and their respective majority shareholders, Bouygues and RTL Group, in a press release. The operation should be completed by the end of 2022, they said. The European aeronautics and defense group Airbus announced Thursday evening that it had delivered 77 aircraft and recorded 73 new orders in June. These deliveries bring to 297 the number of devices shipped during the first six months of the year, a period during which the group recorded 165 gross orders.

No event is on the business agenda on Friday. No macroeconomic publication is expected either.

European equity markets are expected to open modestly higher on Friday, after Thursday's broad decline. Investor sentiment is particularly affected by concerns related to high valuations, a possible reduction in fiscal and monetary stimulus and the persistence of the coronavirus. Around 7:30 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 18.9 points, or 0.3%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The DAX 30 contract was up 56 points, or 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 contract was up 12 points, or 0.2%. The focus on Friday will be on the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) figures for May and the minutes of the ECB's latest monetary policy meeting. Friday will also be marked by the first day of meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20, with the participation of Christine Lagarde. The New York Stock Exchange ended in sharp decline on Thursday, after its new highs reached the day before, as investors worried about the continuation of the economic recovery in particular due to the spread of variants of the coronavirus. In Asia, the main stock market indices posted a mixed performance on Friday. At the end of the session, the Nikkei index yielded 0.7% in Tokyo. At the same time, the Hang Seng gained 1% in Hong Kong. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.3%. In China, producer price inflation slowed in June, after reaching its strongest pace in almost 13 years in May. The producer price index rose 8.8% in June, after rising 9% in May, according to data released Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics. This result is in line with the expectations of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal. Over one month, producer prices increased by 0.3% in June. In addition, the consumer price index increased by 1.1% year on year in June, which marks a slight slowdown compared to the rise of 1.3% recorded in May. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal were anticipating a slightly steeper 1.2% rise. Compared to May, the consumer price index fell 0.4% last month, mainly due to food prices, which fell 1.7% year on year, while prices of non-food products increased by 1.7%.

Yields on US bonds were gaining ground on Friday morning, with the 10-year yield returning above 1.3% to 1.334%, from 1.298% on Thursday evening. The upward movement in bond prices extended to short-term U.S. Treasuries on Thursday, with falling yields suggesting investors believe the Federal Reserve may take longer to raise interest rates.

The euro lost some ground against the dollar and the yen on Friday, while the American currency appreciated against the Japanese currency. Concerns over the spread of the Delta variant are adding to the appeal of the greenback, a currency deemed safe. Investors are re-evaluating their reflation bets, CBA says. According to Citigroup, the dollar should appreciate over the coming year, as the Federal Reserve (Fed) will reduce its monetary support before the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan. A sharp rise in the greenback is unlikely, however, as the Fed is expected to tighten monetary policy later than many other central banks and growth momentum indicators are more favorable in the euro zone, the bank added.

Oil prices rose slightly on Friday, after being boosted the day before by the announcement of a sharp drop, above expectations, in crude oil and gasoline inventories in the United States last week. At 7:20 a.m., the September contract on Brent North Sea crude was up 19 cents, at $74.31 a barrel, and the August contract on Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) was up 32 cents, at $73, $26 a barrel.