European equity markets are expected to start the last session of 2021 down. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,306.07 points (+0.50%), the CAC 40 at 7,173.23 points (+0.16%), the DAX 40 at 15,884.86 points (+0.21%) ), the FTSE 100 at 7,403.01 points (-0.24%), the SMI at 12,875.66 points (-0.39%), the AEX 800.25 points (+0.52%), the BEL 20 to 4,315.14 points (+0.38%), the IBEX 35 to 8,713.80 points (+0.46%), the DJIA to 36,398.08 points (-0.25%), the Nasdaq to 15,741 .56 points (-0.16%), the S&P 500 at 4,778.73 points (-0.30%) and the Nikkei 225 at 28,791.71 points (-0.40%).

Regarding exchange rates, the change from the close in New York indicates that EUR/USD opens at 1.1326 (-0.02%), EUR/JPY at 130.34 (+0.01%) and USD/JPY at 115.09 (+0.03%).

The aeronautics and defense group Airbus announced Thursday evening that the lessor Aviation Capital Group had signed a memorandum of understanding for 20 A220 aircraft and placed a firm order for 40 A320neo family aircraft, including five A321XLRs. Investors will also follow, at 8 p.m., the speech of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, who will present his wishes to the French for the last time before the presidential election of April 2022.

European equity indices are expected to open lower on Friday for the last session of 2021, which will be shortened on the Euronext and London markets. The Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan and Zurich stock exchanges will remain closed for the New Year festivities. At 7:30 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract lost 28 points, or 0.4%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The FTSE 100 contract was down 29 points, or 0.4% as well. Weak trading volumes, while many investors are on vacation at the end of the year, could accentuate volatility and fluctuations in the markets. Some traders are also adjusting their positions as 2022 approaches.

Wall Street closed slightly lower on Thursday, marking a pause the day after new records reached by the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices. The Dow Jones fell 0.3% to 36,398.08 points. The broader S&P 500 index fell 0.3% to 4,778.73 points, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.1% to 15,741.56 points. In Asia, the main indices rose on Friday. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Hang Seng index rose 1.2% at the end of the session, supported by technology stocks. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is closed on Friday and Monday. The Shanghai Composite index gained 0.5%, after the announcement of a slight acceleration in the growth of the Chinese manufacturing sector in December. The official manufacturing PMI rose to 50.3 in December, from 50.1 the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Yields on US Treasury bonds fell on Thursday as governments around the world try to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. The ten-year bond yield ended at 1.510% from 1.542% on Wednesday. The new wave of Covid-19 casts doubts on the continued recovery of employment in the United States, even after the weekly claims for unemployment benefits, published on Thursday, exceeded expectations. A first hike in key Federal Reserve (Fed) rates is still expected for mid-2022, but uncertainty remains about Omicron's impact on employment, inflation and other statistics monitored and used by Fed members.

Fluctuations are limited on Friday on the foreign exchange market, where the euro is changing little against the dollar and where many market players are absent during this holiday season.

Oil fell Friday morning and price volatility in the latter sessions of the year was likely driven by concerns over Covid-19, CMC Markets said. CMC, however, expects oil prices to rise in 2022, when lockdowns due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19 either cease or become less frequent as we emerge from winter. At 7:20 a.m., the March contract on Brent North Sea crude was down 11 cents at $79.42 a barrel. The Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) February contract was down 13 cents to $76.86 a barrel.