European markets are expected to take a break after two strong bullish sessions. This Wednesday, the Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,276.20 points (+3.36%), the CAC 40 at 7,065.39 points (+2.91%), the DAX 40 at 15,813.94 points (+2 .82%), the FTSE 100 at 7,339.90 points (+1.49%), the SMI at 12,513.62 points (+1.12%), the AEX at 805.78 points (+3.51% ), the BEL 20 at 4,227.56 points (+1.08%), the IBEX 35 at 8,559.50 points (+1.42%), the DJIA at 35,719.43 points (+1.40%), the Nasdaq at 15,686.92 points (+3.03%), the S&P 500 at 4,686.75 points (+2.07%) and the Nikkei 225 at 28,860.62 points (+1.42%).

On the exchange rate side, the variation compared to the closing in New York indicates that EUR/USD at 1.1295 (+0.24%), EUR/JPY at 128.18 (+0.15 %) and USD/JPY at 113.49 (-0.07%).

Investors' attention will focus on L'Oréal on Wednesday, the cosmetics manufacturer having announced on Tuesday evening that it would buy back 4% of its capital from Nestlé, as part of an agreement concluded with the Swiss food group. Nestlé's stake in L'Oréal's capital will be reduced from 23.3% to 20.1%. The stake of the Bettencourt Meyers family in L'Oréal will automatically increase from 33.3% to 34.7%. Separately, Airbus delivered 58 aircraft to 34 customers in November. The aircraft manufacturer also registered 318 orders during the eleventh month of the year. Across the first 11 months of 2021, Airbus delivered a total of 518 aircraft to 80 customers. Airbus aims to deliver a total of 600 aircraft this year.

The main European equity markets should change little on Wednesday at the opening, investors catching their breath after two sessions of strong growth caused by reassuring news on the dangerousness of the Omicron variant of the virus responsible for Covid-19. The day will also be marked by the vote of the German Parliament on the appointment of Olaf Scholz as Chancellor. Around 7:40 am, the futures contract on the CAC 40 yielded 0.2 points, according to data from the broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX 40 fell 24 points, or 0.15%, and that on the FTSE 100 lost 6 points, or 0.1%.

Vaccines aren't as effective against the Omicron variant as they are against other strains of the coronavirus, but scientists say vaccination should still prevent severe forms of the disease, according to lab tests in South Africa.

The monetary policy committee is due to meet next Tuesday and Wednesday, while the European Central Bank (ECB) will announce its monetary policy decision the following day. In the United States, Democratic and Republican leaders have agreed on a legislative procedure that should allow the debt ceiling to be raised in the near future and thus avoid a default. In Asia, most major stock markets are trading in the green on Wednesday, in the wake of Wall Street's gains the day before. The Nikkei index closed 1.4% higher in Tokyo, despite a downward revision to Japan's economic performance in the third quarter. The Shanghai Composite advanced 0.8% at the end of the session. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Hang Seng index was near balance.

Wall Street ended sharply higher as concerns eased over the Omicron variant and its impact on the economy. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) gained 1.4% to 35,719.43 points, while the broader S&P 500 index gained 2% to 4,686.75 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 3% to 15,686.92 points.

Yields on U.S. Treasury bonds rose on Tuesday and yields on 10- and 30-year securities hit their highest level in a week as fears of a slowing economy eased amid signs that the Omicron variant might not be worse than Delta variant. Meanwhile, the yield on the two-year Treasury bond rose to its highest level since March 2020 as investors expect the Federal Reserve (Fed) to accelerate the pace of decline in its bond purchases during of its monetary policy meeting next week.

The euro progressed Wednesday morning against the dollar. However, Bank of America remains confident that the greenback will appreciate against the single currency and the yen in 2022.

Oil prices retreated on Wednesday as traders caught their breath after several sessions of bullishness as concerns about the Omicron variant subsided. By 7:30 a.m., the February North Sea Brent contract was down 34 cents to $75.10 a barrel. The January WTI contract was down 45 cents at $71.60 a barrel.