Equity markets expected a slight pullback, monitoring Evergrande. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,194.92 points, up 1.08%, the CAC 40 opens at 6,701.98 points (+0.98%), the DAX 40 at 15,643.97 points (+0 .88%), the FTSE 100 at 7,078.35 points (-0.07%), the SMI at 11,938.62 points (+0.85%), the AEX at 800.61 points (+1.04% ), the BEL 20 at 4,172.31 points (+0.79%), the IBEX 35 at 8,876.90 points (+0.78%), the DJIA at 34,764.82 points (+1.48%), the Nasdaq at 15,052.24 points (+1.04%), the S&P 500 at 4,448.98 points (+1.21%) and the Nikkei 225 at 30,241.55 points up 2.03%.

With regard to the exchange rate, the variation compared to the closing in New York indicates a generally upward trend. The EUR/USD is displayed at 1.1740 (+0.01%), the EUR/JPY at 129.61 (+0.08%) and the USD/JPY at 110.41 (+0, 08%).

Financial rating agency Fitch Ratings raised its outlook for BNP Paribas' credit rating from "negative" to "stable" on Thursday, saying risks to the bank's results and asset quality have diminished thanks to the improving macroeconomic outlook in its main markets. Fitch confirmed BNP Paribas' "A+" rating. The agency also maintained Societe Generale's rating on Thursday at "A-", with a stable outlook. The Standard & Poor's agency for its part raised its outlook for Rexel's credit rating from "stable" to "positive" on Thursday, thanks to the improvement in the activities of the distributor of electrical equipment in industry and the construction and its cash generation. S&P currently assigns a "BB" rating to Rexel's long-term debt.

European equity markets are expected to trade slightly lower at the open on Friday, as lingering concerns over struggling Chinese property developer Evergrande dampened Asian markets. Around 7:30 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract lost 10.6 points, or 0.2%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX yielded 16 points, or 0.1%, and that on the FTSE 100 fell 3.5 points, or 0.1% as well. The indicators expected in the session include the IFO business climate index in Germany, the business climate and consumer confidence indices in Italy, as well as new home sales in the United States.

In addition, the chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed), Jerome Powell, is due to deliver a speech in the afternoon on the prospects for the post-pandemic recovery. Cleveland Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Loretta Mester is also due to speak. The New York Stock Exchange gained ground on Thursday, despite an unexpected rise in jobless claims in the United States. The market benefited from the confidence displayed by the Federal Reserve (Fed) in the prospects for economic recovery. The number of first jobless claims rose by 16,000 last week in the United States to 351,000, the US Department of Labor said on Thursday. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal predicted 320,000 new jobless claims.

The three major indices of the New York Stock Exchange had already progressed on Wednesday after the announcements of the Fed, which confirmed that it wanted to reduce its monetary support due to the improvement in the economic situation. International investors holding dollar-denominated Evergrande bonds were in limbo on Thursday over the payment of interest owed by the struggling Chinese real estate giant, which finds itself tested on its ability to avoid default. September 23 marked the due date for an interest payment of $83.5 million on this loan with a nominal value of $2.03 billion. By late Thursday afternoon in New York, bondholders had not received the money, people familiar with the matter said.

Evergrande may make payment late, and it has a 30-day grace period before it is considered defaulted by bondholders. Evergrande's failure to meet this deadline could trigger the largest default to date on a dollar bond issue from an Asian company. In Asia, the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose on Friday after remaining closed on Thursday due to a public holiday, while the other major stock markets in the region fell back. At the end of the session, the Japanese Nikkei index was up 2%. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2% and the Hang Seng lost 0.1% in Hong Kong.

Yields on US Treasury bonds continue to rise Friday morning. The rate of the ten-year loan, the benchmark for the market, experienced its biggest rise in one session on Thursday since March. At 7:10 a.m., the ten-year yield rose to 1.442%, from 1.435% at the close on Thursday.

The euro was almost stable on Friday morning against the dollar but gained a little ground against the yen, like the greenback. The pound sterling is stabilizing, after being carried the day before by the announcements of the Bank of England (BOE), which indicated that it could raise its key rate before the end of its asset purchases.

Oil futures are little changed on Friday morning as oil prices remain at high levels, supported by renewed risk appetite as well as fears of a decline in oil. offer. As of 7:20 a.m., the November North Sea Brent contract was trading for 14 cents at $77.39 a barrel. That of the same maturity on light sweet crude (WTI) listed on the Nymex took 4 cents, at 73.34 dollars a barrel.