European stock markets should remain cautious ahead of Powell's speech. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,169.87 points with a drop of 0.27%, the CAC 40 to 6,666.03 points (-0.16%), the DAX 30 to 15,793.62 points (-0.42%), the FTSE 100 to 7,124.98 points (-0.35%), the SMI to 12,409.03 points (+0.36%), the AEX to 780.31 points (-0,35%), the SMI at 12,409.03 points (+0.36%), the AEX at 780.31 points (-0,31 points The BEL 20 at 4.311.35 points (-0.29%), the IBEX 35 at 8,892.70 points (-0.94%), the DJIA at 35.213.12 points (-0.54%), the Nasdaq at 14,945.81 points (-0.64%), the S&P 500 at 4,470.00 points (-0.58%) and the Nikkei 225 & 225 agrave; 27,610.15 points down by

As for the exchange rate, the change compared to the close in New York indicates that the EUR/USD opened at 1.1765 up by 0.10%, the EUR/JPY at 129.31 down by 0.08% and the USD/JPY at 109.90 with a fall of 0.17%.

European equity markets should be cautious on Friday ahead of Jerome Powell's speech at the annual Federal Reserve (Fed) conference in Jackson Hole, during which the president of the US Central Bank could give clues about the Fed's plans to reduce its stimulus measures. At around 7:40 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract lost 7.8 points, or 0.1%, according to data from the broker IG Markets. The DAX 30 contract lost 25.5 points, or 0.2%, and the FTSE 100 contract earned 3.7 points, or 0.1%. The New York Stock Exchange closed lower on Thursday, pausing from its record highs the previous day as investors prepare for the annual Jackson Hole conference and the Federal Reserve Chairman's speech scheduled for Friday. In Asia, the main stock market indices posted mixed performances on Friday. At the end of the session, the Shanghai Composite gained 0.4%, the Hang Seng Index gained 0.2% in Hong Kong, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei Index

US government bond yields fell slightly on Friday morning, after seeing their rise ease on Thursday due to the deterioration of the situation in Kabul. The 10-year US government bond rate fell by 1.3 basis points, to 1.344%

The euro rose against the dollar on Friday morning but fell against the Japanese currency, like the greenback. For Bank of America, the euro should nevertheless continue to weaken against the dollar as the European Central Bank (ECB) seems to be preparing to announce new quantitative easing (QE) measures, while the Fed will soon begin to reduce asset purchases. The bank expects the euro to fall to $1.15 by the end of the year

Oil prices recovered on Friday morning after falling the previous day, supported by concerns about a storm that could threaten American oil infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm, which is currently in the Caribbean, is about to move to the American Gulf Coast over the weekend with hurricane-like intensity, the ING bank said. Since more than 50% of U.S. refining capacity is located on the Gulf Coast, there are risks of significant disruptions in the supply of refined fuels, ING added. At 7:15 a.m., the October North Sea Brent contract earned 87 cents, at $71.94 per barrel. The October contract for mild crude oil (WTI) listed on the Nymex was priced at 80 cents, at $68.22