European equity markets expected to rise after the announcement of a rate cut in China. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,272.19 points (-1.01%), the CAC 40 at 7,143.00 points (-0.81%), the DAX 40 at 15,883.24 points (-0.93%) , the FTSE 100 at 7,542.95 points (-0.28%), the SMI at 12,525.63 points (-0.75%), the AEX at 783.53 points (-0.99%), the BEL 20 at 4,245.85 points (-0.26%), the IBEX 35 at 8,806.60 points (-0.12%), the DJIA at 35,911.81 points (-0.56%), the Nasdaq at 14,893 .75 points (+0.59%), the S&P 500 at 4,662.85 points (+0.08%) and the Nikkei 225 at 28,333.52 points (+0.74%).

With regard to exchange rates, the variation compared to the close in New York indicates that the EUR/USD is displayed at 1.1420 (+0.04%), the EUR/JPY at 130.72 (+0.27%) and USD/JPY at 114.47 (+0.24%).

European equity markets are expected to open higher on Monday, buoyed by news of a cut in two benchmark interest rates in China to support a flagging economy. However, the rise in equities may be limited due to the closure of Wall Street for a holiday in the United States. At 7:35 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 22 points, or 0.3%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The DAX 40 contract was up 68 points, or 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 contract was up 21 points, or 0.3%.

After these announcements, the Asian equity markets followed a contrasting trend on Monday. The Nikkei index closed up 0.7% in Tokyo. The Hang Seng of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange lost 0.9% at the end of the session, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.5%. Friday evening, Wall Street closed in mixed order after the publication of lower results in the banking sector and the announcement of retail sales below expectations in the United States. Held back by banking stocks, the Dow Jones index (DJIA) lost 0.6% to 35,911.81 points. The broader S&P 500 index, on the other hand, gained nearly 0.1%, to 4,662.85 points. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.6% to 14,893.75 points.

The yield on the two-year U.S. Treasury bond hit its highest level in nearly two years on Friday, while posting a fourth consecutive week of gains. At the same time, the ten-year Treasury bond rate, the market's benchmark, posted its biggest single session increase since January 3, as traders adjusted their positions in view of a tightening of monetary policy in the Federal Reserve (Fed). US bond markets will remain closed on Monday due to a holiday across the Atlantic.

The euro changed little on Monday morning against the dollar. At the same time, the idea that the Omicron variant is unlikely to derail the recovery of the global economy weighs on the dollar as a counter-cyclical currency, adds CBA.

Crude oil futures advanced Monday morning. At 7:25 a.m., the March North Sea Brent contract was up 26 cents, at $86.32 a barrel. The Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) February contract took 45 cents to $84.27 a barrel.