European equity markets are expected to rise, supported by the fall in oil. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 3,959.14 points (-1.08%), the CAC 40 at 6,741.59 points (-0.74%), the DAX 40 at 14,606.05 points (-1.45% ), the FTSE 100 at 7,578.75 points (+0.55%), the SMI at 12,243.73 points (-0.66%), the AEX at 733.88 points (-0.17%), the BEL 20 at 4,198.89 points (+0.03%), IBEX 35 at 8,550.60 points (-0.74%), DJIA at 35,228.81 points (-0.19%), Nasdaq at 14,442.27 points (-1.21%), the S&P 500 at 4,602.45 points (-0.63%) and the Nikkei 225 at 27,900.72 points (-0.45%).

With regard to exchange rates, the variation compared to the closing in New York indicates that EUR/USD at 1.1163 (+0.02%), EUR/JPY at 136.46 (+0 .38%) and USD/JPY at 122.26 (+0.34%).

Investors will be watching on Thursday for the first estimate of inflation in France in March, as well as household consumption figures for February.

European stocks are set to open higher on Thursday, buoyed by lower oil prices after reports from the Wall Street Journal and other US media that US President Joe Biden is preparing to announce that Washington will draw to 1 million barrels of oil per day in its strategic reserves. At 7:35 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 26 points, or 0.4%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX 40 progressed by 59 points, or 0.4% also, and that on the FTSE 100 grabbed 4 points, or 0.05%.

Wall Street closed in the red on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) lost to 35,228.81 points, and the broader S&P 500 index lost 0.6% to 4,602.45 points. The Nasdaq Composite ended down 1.2% at 14,442.27 points. In Asia, the main markets fell on Thursday. The Nikkei index lost 0.4% in Tokyo. The Hang Seng of the Hang Kong Stock Exchange yielded 1% at the end of the session and the Shanghai Composite gave up 0.4%. Official PMI indices for China's manufacturing and services sector showed a slowdown in economic activity in March, due to containment measures imposed to combat the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond was flat on Thursday morning. The 2/10-year yield curve narrowly missed inverting again on Wednesday. According to Bank of America, the inversion, widely seen as a sign of recession risk, mainly predicts Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts.

The euro was little changed against the dollar on Thursday morning as risk appetite was sapped by dwindling hopes for progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Oil prices fell Thursday, penalized by the prospect that the United States draws on its strategic reserves. Investors are also awaiting the OPEC+ meeting on Thursday, which brings together members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and ten allied countries led by Russia. Despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow and the high level of prices on the market, OPEC should stick to an increase in its production quotas of 400,000 barrels per day, as in previous months. At 7:25 a.m., the May contract on Brent North Sea crude fell $6.10, or 5.5%, to $105.34 a barrel, while the same-maturity contract on light sweet crude (WTI) listed the Nymex fell $6.86, or 6.4%, to $100.96 a barrel.