Equity markets should recover pending the inflation figures in the euro zone. The Eurostoxx 50 opened at 4,056.39 points, down 1.05%, the CAC 40 at 6,493.36 points (-0.99%), the DAX 30 at 15,629.66 points (-1.01 %), the FTSE 100 at 7,012.02 points (-1.12%), the SMI at 11,976.79 points (-0.55%), the AEX at 739.42 points (-0.74%), the BEL 20 at 4,149.53 points (-0.96%), the IBEX 35 at 8,527.00 points (-1.52%), the DJIA at 34,987.02 points (+0.15%), the Nasdaq at 14,543.13 points (-0.70%), the S&P 500 at 4,360.03 points (-0.33%) and the Nikkei 225 at 28,122.78 points down 0.55%.

For its part, the variation in exchange rates compared to the closing in New York indicates a drop of 0.02% for the EUR/USD pair (1.1809). EUR/JPY is up 0.13% (129.90), USD/JPY at 110.01, an increase of 0.15%.

The main European equity indices should start Friday's session in the green, pending the publication of final inflation figures for June in the euro zone. At 7:30 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 10 points, or 0.2%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX 30 gained 26 points, or 0.2%, and that on the FTSE 100 gained 18 points, or 0.3%. The first estimate of the consumer price index in the euro zone in June showed a rise of 1.9% over one year, a level lower than the new target of 2% of the European Central Bank (ECB). Although higher than in recent years, inflation in the Eurozone is mainly fueled by the rise in energy prices from their depressed levels of spring 2020 and central bankers believe that it will slow quickly.

In the United States, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed), Jerome Powell, estimated Thursday, during a second day of hearings before Congress, that inflation had reached excessive levels in the country but that the Price pressures should ease over the medium term. In June, price increases reached their highest level in 13 years in the United States. The Labor Department's consumer price index is up 5.4% from June 2020. Excluding food and energy, the rise is 4.5%, a high point in nearly 30 years , while the Fed aims for inflation of 2% per year on average. In this context, Wall Street ended in dispersed order on Thursday. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) ended up 0.2% to 34,987.95 points. The broader S&P 500 index lost 0.3% to 4,360.05 points. The Nasdaq Composite index, which is dominated by technology, lost 0.7% to 14,543.13 points. The main Asian indices present a mixed picture on Friday. At the end of the session, the Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 0.3%, investors worried about the health situation in Japan a few days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. At the same time, the Hang Seng gained 0.5% in Hong Kong, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.1%. The Bank of Japan announced on Friday that it would provide interest-free loans to commercial banks to help companies finance projects aimed at responding to climate change.

Yields on long-term U.S. Treasury bonds rallied on Friday morning after losing ground on Thursday as Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell said he did not feel "very comfortable" with the recent surge in inflation but remain convinced that the rise in prices will eventually subside. At 7:30 a.m., the yield on the ten-year bond, the market benchmark, stood at 1.318% against 1.299% on Thursday evening.

The dollar is changing little Friday morning against other major currencies, including the euro, after two days of hearing Jerome Powell before Congress and the announcement of unemployment claims in the United States at the lowest since the start of the health crisis.

Oil contracts were little changed Friday morning as investors expected the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to increase its supply of crude, ANZ said. At 7:25 a.m., the September contract on North Sea Brent was down 2 cents, at $73.45 a barrel, and the August contract on Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) was up 3 cents, at 71.68. dollars per barrel.