Stocks expected to fall after a new rise in Covid-19 cases in Europe and Japan. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,035.77 points (-0.51%), the CAC 40 at 6,460.08 points (-0.51%), the DAX 30 at 15.540.31 points (-0.57%), the FTSE 100 at 7,008.09 points (-0.06%), the SMI at 12,026.50 points (+0.42%), the AEX at 736.52 points (-0.39%), the BEL 20 at 4.155.08 points (+0.13%), the IBEX 35 at 8,506.20 points (-0.24%), the DJIA at 34,687.85 points (-0.86%), the Nasdaq at 14,427.24 points (-0.80%), the S&P 500 at 4,327.16 points (-0.75%) and the Nikkei 225 at 27,648.81 points (-1.27%).

In terms of exchange rates, the change from the New York close shows EUR/USD at 1.1807 (+0.01%), EUR/JPY at 129.76 (-0.14%) and USD/JPY at 109.91 (-0.16%).

European equity markets are expected to open lower on Monday, hurt by intensifying concerns about the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, while investors await the rest of the earnings season and monetary policy announcements from the European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday. At 7:35 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract was down 35 points, or 0.5 percent, according to data from broker IG Markets. The DAX 30 contract was down 84 points, or 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 contract was giving up 48 points, or 0.7%.

The health situation has been deteriorating for several weeks in Europe and in several Asian countries, including Japan, affected by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. In this context and while investors are concerned about the high level of inflation in the United States, Wall Street ended down Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) lost 0.9 percent to 34,687.85 points and the broader S&P 500 index gave up 0.8 percent to 4,327.12 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index also ended down 0.8% at 14,427.24 points. In Asia, the main markets showed sharp declines on Monday. At the end of the session, the Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 1.4%. The Hang Seng was down 1.6% in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.1%.

U.S. Treasury yields retreated Monday as investors awaited a series of economic indicators on the U.S. housing market, which should help gauge the pace of economic growth and inflation. Markets fear a strong but potentially inflationary recovery across the Atlantic in the coming months. At 7:35 a.m., the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, the market's benchmark, was down to 1.281% from 1.294% Friday night.

The euro was up slightly against the dollar Monday morning, but continued concerns about the Delta variant of the coronavirus are weighing on market sentiment. For its part, UniCredit notes that currencies of countries exposed to the Delta variant, including the British pound, the Australian dollar and the South African rand, are likely to experience increased volatility in the future.

Oil contracts retreated Monday morning after members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and their Russian-led allies reached an agreement on a gradual increase in production until the end of 2022. At 7:25 a.m., the September North Sea Brent contract was losing 68 cents to $72.91 a barrel, and Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) for August was giving up 69 cents to $71.12 a barrel. Opec+ agreed on Sunday to raise its monthly production by 400,000 barrels per day, bringing it back to pre-crisis production levels by the end of 2022, while acting gradually to take into account uncertainties about the economic recovery and the return of oil demand to pre-pandemic levels. Oil prices have recently lost ground in anticipation of a deal, but analysts note that the gradual nature of the planned Opec+ production increases could continue to pressure prices. According to broker Oanda, prices are being affected on Monday not only by the Opec+ deal but also by the rising number of Covid-19 cases around the world.