European stock markets are expected to change little before the US jobs report. The Eurostoxx 50 opened at 4,161.08 points with an increase of 0.39%. The CAC 40 at 6,781.19 points (+0.52%), the DAX 30 at 15,744.67 points (+0.33%), the FTSE 100 at 7,120.43 points (-0.05%), the SMI at 12,199.82 points (+0.17%), the AEX at 768.23 points (+0.26%), the BEL 20 at 4,293.22 points (+0.62%), The IBEX 35 at 8,836.50 points (+0.50%), the DJIA at 35,064.25 points (+0.78%), the Nasdaq at 14,895.12 points (+0.78%), the S&P 500 at 4,429.10 points (+0.60%) and the Nikkei 225 at 27,805.06 points

The exchange rate indicates a bearish change compared to the close in New York. EUR/USD opened at 1.1824 down 0.09%, EUR/JPY at 129.87 (-0.03%) and USD/JPY up 0.06% at 109.84

Standard & Poor's (S&P), for its part, said on Thursday that it could raise its credit rating for Europcar by a notch after the announcement of the proposed merger between the car rental group and Volkswagen. S&P said it had placed Europcar's “CCC+” credit rating “under surveillance with positive implications.” On Thursday, the Financial Markets Authority (AMF) imposed financial sanctions of a total of 37 million euros against the companies Amundi Asset Management, Amundi Intermediation and Tullett Prebon, following price manipulation by three former employees of these companies over a short period in 2015. On Friday, Getlink presents its traffic figures for the month of July, while Delfingen Industry reports its sales for the second quarter. On the macroeconomic side, the statistics on foreign trade for the month of June and those on wage employment in the second quarter will be published at 8:45am

European equity markets are expected to change little early in the trading session on Friday, as investors await the publication of the US employment report to find out how the surge in Covid-19 cases is affecting the world's largest economy. At 7:40am, the CAC 40 futures contract fell 9.6 points, or 0.1%, according to data from the broker IG Markets. The DAX 30 contract was up 2.5 points, or 0.02%, and the FTSE 100 contract was down 3.6 points, or 0.05%. On Friday, the monthly report on non-agricultural employment in the United States, which includes public sector hires, will be published. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal expect 845,000 jobs to be created in July, a level close to that recorded in June. The New York Stock Exchange finished higher on Thursday, propelling the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 to new records, after the announcement of a drop in unemployment registrations in the United States last week and good corporate results. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Indices ended the session at historic highs, with the broader index reaching a record high for the 43rd time this year. The Nasdaq Composite set to record highs 27 times in 2021. For its part, the Dow Jones Index finished just 0.2% below its highest level reached on July 26

The number of American workers applying for unemployment benefits for the first time fell from 14,000 in the week ended July 31 to 385,000 in seasonally adjusted terms, the U.S. Department of Labor said on Thursday. These good figures offset the release of disappointing statistics on private employment in the United States on Wednesday. In Asia, the indices showed a mixed picture on Friday. At the end of the session in Tokyo, the Nikkei index gained 0.3%. At the same time, the Hang Seng, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's flagship index, rose by 0.01% and the Shanghai Composite

U.S. Treasury bond yields rose slightly on Thursday, after weekly unemployment registrations fell and pending the U.S. nonfarm employment report. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield stood at 1.239% on Friday morning, after closing at 1.224% on Thursday evening

The euro lost some ground against the dollar on Friday and was almost stable against the yen. The greenback rose slightly against the Japanese currency. Most Asian currencies are falling against the dollar, before the release of the report on non-agricultural employment in the United States. According to currency broker Pepperstone, more than one million new jobs, accompanied by a drop in the unemployment rate and a satisfactory participation rate, could trigger a sell-off in the bond market and give the dollar a new boost

Oil prices rose slightly on Friday morning, after having already been buoyed on Thursday by the announcement of an increase in American crude exports last month. In the short term, demand for black gold could be dampened by the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in fifteen Chinese provinces, warns Oanda, while China is among the largest oil importers. At 7:15 a.m., the October North Sea Brent contract earned 9 cents, at $71.38 per barrel. The September contract for sweet light crude (WTI) listed on Nymex took 6 cents, at $69.15