European equity markets should be hesitant to open ahead of employment in the US. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,333.34 points (+0.55%), the CAC 40 at 6,987.79 points (+0.53%), the DAX 40 at 16,029.65 points (+0.44% ), the FTSE 100 at 7,279.91 points (+0.43%), the SMI at 12,403.05 points (+0.16%), the AEX at 820.38 points (+0.54%), the BEL 20 at 4,402.32 points (+0.76%), IBEX 35 at 9,039.40 points (+0.10%), DJIA at 36,124.23 points (-0.09%), Nasdaq at 15,940.31 points (+0.81%), the S&P 500 at 4,680.06 points (+0.42%) and Nikkei 225 at 29,611.57 points (-0.61%).

On the currency side, the change from the close in New York indicates a generally bearish trend. EUR/USD at 1.1554 (-0.03%), EUR/JPY at 131.35 (-0.09%) and USD/JPY at 113.69 (-0.07%) .

The insurer Axa announced Thursday evening the launch of a share buyback program amounting to 1.7 billion euros after a further increase in its solvency ratio and the continuation of a strong momentum in its revenue in the third quarter.

European equity markets are expected to have a cautious start to the session as investors continue to analyze central banks' guidance on monetary policy. Market caution will be accentuated by renewed concerns about Chinese property developers. Around 7:40 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 5.7 points, or 0.1%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The DAX 40 contract lost 12.5 points, or 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 contract lost 14 points, or 0.2%.

In addition, attention will be focused on Friday on industrial production figures in France and Germany, salaried employment in France, the European Central Bank (ECB) survey of monetary analysts and the report on nonfarm employment in the United States. The New York Stock Exchange ended in mixed fashion on Thursday but the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite set new all-time highs after good corporate results and the announcement of a drop in jobless claims in the United States. The broader S&P 500 index gained 0.4% to reach a new high of 4,680.06 points. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.8% to 15,940.31 points, a new all-time high. In Asia, concerns about Chinese property developers weighed on markets on Friday. Indexes notably fell in Hong Kong and Shanghai after the suspension of the action of the real estate group Kaisa, which had not made payments on Thursday for a guaranteed wealth management product. At the end of the session, the Hang Seng index fell 1.2% in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite lost 0.5%. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei index closed down 0.6%.

Yields on US Treasury bonds retreated Friday morning, continuing their slide from the previous day. At around 7:20 a.m., the rate on the 10-year bond stood at 1.535%, down from 1.584% at Thursday's close. Thursday's rate cut was seen by some market participants as an indication that investors remain confident that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will eventually get inflation under control, as well as a sign that the growth outlook could have decreased.

The euro was almost stable on Friday morning against the dollar but lost some ground against the yen, like the greenback. The pound sterling, which was crushed on Thursday after the unexpected decision of the Bank of England (BOE) to leave its rates unchanged, is changing little against the euro and the dollar. Nomura advises selling the pound against the dollar as the financial intermediary expects the BOE not to raise rates as much as the market expects. Nomura has a target of $1.34 for the pound, which is currently trading at $1.3497.

Oil prices presented a mixed picture on Friday, following a volatile session the day before that saw crude prices close at their lowest levels since early October. This volatility was induced by the decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies to ignore the pressures of the American government and not to modify the rate of increase in their production.

However, the rise in oil prices could be limited by the possibility that the United States and other consumer countries draw on their strategic oil reserves, analysts say. By 7:30 a.m., the January North Sea Brent contract was down 19 cents to $80.35 a barrel. The December contract on light sweet crude oil (WTI) quoted on the Nymex, on the other hand, gained 16 cents, to 78.97 dollars a barrel.