Stocks are likely to be reluctant to open amid oil's rebound and geopolitical tensions. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 3,885.32 points (-0.11%), the CAC 40 at 6,612.52 points (+0.36%), the DAX 40 at 14,388.06 points (-0.36% ), the FTSE 100 at 7,385.34 points (+1.28%), the SMI at 12,061.87 points (+1.35%), the AEX at 707.45 points (+0.56%), the BEL 20 at 4,110.78 points (+0.61%), IBEX 35 at 8,412.00 points (+0.38%), DJIA at 34,480.76 points (+1.23%), Nasdaq at 13,614.78 points (+1.33%), the S&P 500 at 4,411.67 points (+1.23%) and the Nikkei 225 at 26,827.43 points (+0.65%).
On the exchange rate side, the variation compared to the close in New York indicates that the EUR/USD opens at 1.1084 (-0.09%), the EUR/JPY at 131.60 (+ 0.03%) and USD/JPY at 118.74 (+0.12%).
European equity markets are expected to move little on Friday at the open, with investors cautious about the rebound in oil prices well above $100 a barrel and ahead of the scheduled telephone discussion between the US and Chinese presidents. Around 7:40 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract lost 3.4 points, or 0.05%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX 40 gained 8 points, or 0.06%, and that on the FTSE 100 advanced by 24 points, or 0.3%.
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping plan to speak in the afternoon by telephone. The US president is expected to warn his Chinese counterpart against helping Russia with the invasion of Ukraine. Beijing, for its part, says it wants to prevent the Ukrainian crisis from worsening further, without giving up its alignment with Moscow.

In Asia, stocks are moving in the green on Friday. At the end of the session, the Hang Seng index of the Hong Stock Exchange gained 0.3%, after having already won 7% on Thursday and 9% on Wednesday. The Shanghai Composite index took 1.3%. In Tokyo, the Nikkei gained 0.7% as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) left its ultra-accommodative monetary policy unchanged on Friday, unlike many other major central banks, including the US Federal Reserve (Fed), who began to withdraw the support measures put in place at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The central bank kept the short-term deposit rate at -0.1% and the 10-year Japanese government bond yield target around zero.
Yields on US Treasury bonds eased slightly on Friday as trading was marked by some caution. Yields moved in a mixed fashion on Thursday. The two-year bond rate notably moved away from its three-year highs, due to uncertainties surrounding the ability of the Federal Reserve (Fed) to raise interest rates as much as it expects until 'in 2023.
The euro was little changed against the dollar on Friday morning, as geopolitical concerns reinforced the greenback's appeal as a safe haven currency. DBS Research says caution has returned to markets ahead of the scheduled talks between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. At 7:40 a.m., the euro was unchanged at 1.1094 dollars.
Oil prices rose sharply on Friday morning, supported by the lack of major progress in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the conflict between them. By 7:30 a.m., the May contract for Brent North Sea crude was up $2.63, or 2.5%, at $109.27 a barrel, while the April contract for light sweet crude (WTI) quoted at Nymex was up $2.87, or 2.8%, to $105.85 a barrel.