European stock markets are expected to fall after the Fed minutes. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 3,824.69 points (-2.38%), the CAC 40 at 6,498.83 points (-2.21%), the DAX 40 at 14,151.69 points (-1.89% ), the FTSE 100 at 7,587.70 points (-0.34%), the SMI at 12,320.10 points (-0.46%), the AEX at 719.67 points (-2.22%), the BEL 20 at 4,161.14 points (-1.92%), IBEX 35 at 8,482.10 points (-1.64%), DJIA at 34,496.51 points (-0.42%), Nasdaq at 13,888.82 points (-2.22%), the S&P 500 at 4,481.15 points (-0.97%) and the Nikkei 225 at 26,906.90 points (-1.62%).

On the exchange rate side, the variation compared to the closing in New York, the EUR/USD opens at 1.0913 (+0.15%), the EUR/JPY at 134.98 (+0 .07%) and USD/JPY at 123.68 (-0.10%).

Vinci Highways, the motorway concession subsidiary of Vinci, announced on Wednesday evening that it holds 100% of the American company TollPlus, a specialist in motorway toll management systems and mobility solutions. Vinci had already held 30% of TollPlus since 2016. Following the purchase of the remaining capital, the company will be fully consolidated in Vinci's accounts.

European stock markets are expected to continue their decline on Thursday, after the minutes of the last meeting of the Federal Reserve (Fed) confirmed that the American central bank could tighten its policy intensively in the coming months. At 7:35 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract lost 30 points, or 0.5%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX 40 yielded 52 points, or 0.4%, and that on the FTSE 100 gave up 11 points, or 0.2%.

The Federal Reserve (Fed) could accelerate the raising of its interest rates in the coming months, according to the minutes of its last meeting published on Wednesday. In March, central bankers considered starting their monetary tightening cycle with a hike of half a percentage point, before opting for a more limited measure, the minutes of the meeting said.

Wall Street ended lower on Wednesday as bond yields hit their highest level in three years, as investors expected an acceleration of monetary tightening in the United States to contain inflation. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) fell 0.4% to 34,496.51 points, while the broader S&P 500 index ended down 1% to 4,481.15 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 2.2% to 13,888.82 points. On Thursday, investors will be watching German industrial production figures for February, as well as the minutes of the European Central Bank's (ECB) latest monetary policy meeting. In the United States, the figures for weekly jobless claims are expected in the afternoon. In Asia, the main markets fell on Thursday, investors worried about the impact of monetary tightening planned in the United States on the global economy. In Tokyo, the Nikkei index lost 1.5% at the end of the session. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Hang Seng index dropped 1.2% and the Shanghai Composite lost 1.1%.

The yield on the ten-year U.S. Treasury, the market benchmark, fell back below 2.6% on Thursday morning, after hitting a three-year high on Wednesday in reaction to the minutes of the last meeting. Fed monetary policy. At 7:35 a.m., it stood at 2.582%, against 2.606% on Wednesday evening.

The euro rallied against the dollar on Thursday morning, trading at 1.0915, as investors continued to analyze the minutes from the Fed's latest meeting. The elements unfavorable to the euro are numerous enough to bring down the single currency to 1.08 dollars in one month, even if Emmanuel Macron wins. A victory for Marine Le Pen, which would be a surprise, would lead to an even more marked decline in the euro/dollar pair, underlines BMO.

Oil prices regained some of the ground lost the day before on Thursday morning. According to ANZ Research, prices remain supported by the warning from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that a sharp drop in Russian exports could lead to a shortfall of 3 million barrels per day in the global crude market. As of 7:25 a.m., the June contract on Brent was up $1.18, or 1.2%, at $102.25 a barrel, while the May contract on Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) was up 94 cents. , or 1%, to $97.17 a barrel.