European equity markets are expected to recover in the face of lower oil prices. The Eurostoxx 50 opens at 4,012.65 points (-1.30%), the CAC 40 at 6,493.12 points (-1.26%), the DAX 40 at 14,973.33 points (-1.46%), the FTSE 100 at 6,995.87 points (-1.15%), the SMI at 11,569.39 points (-0.15%), the AEX at 761.22 points (-1.29%), the BEL 20 at 4,100.05 points (-1.09%), the IBEX 35 at 8,755.00 points (-1.71%), the DJIA at 34,416.99 points (+0.30%), the Nasdaq at 14,501.91 points (+0.47%), the S&P 500 at 4,363.55 points (+0.41%) and the Nikkei 225 is up 27,779.24 points, up 0.91%.

As far as exchange rates are concerned, the change from the close in New York indicates a downward trend. EUR/USD opened at 1.1557 (-0.02%), EUR/JPY at 128.73 (-0.04%) and USD/JPY at 111.41 (-0.02%).

Investors will follow The foreign trade figures for August on Thursday and will react to the latest economic note from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), published on Wednesday after the close of European markets. While INSEE has maintained its growth forecast for 2021 at 6.25%, it forecasts a fall in the unemployment rate to 7.6% at the end of the year, against a previous estimate of 8.2%. For its part, inflation is expected to remain above 2% until December, with a high point at 2.3% in October, forecasts the institute.

European equity markets are expected to open sharply higher on Thursday, reassured by the decline in oil prices and the progress of negotiations in the United States Congress on raising the debt ceiling. At 7:35 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 80 points, or 1.2%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX gained 175 points, or 1.2%, and the FTSE 100 contract gained 75 points, or 1.1%. Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday, erasing its losses from the start of the session. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA), which had lost up to 1% at the beginning of the session, ended up 0.3%, at 34,416.99 points. The broader S&P 500 index rose 0.4% to 4,363.55 points and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 14,501.91 points. In Asia, the indices are recovering on Thursday after having shown a sharp decline the day before. At the end of the session, the Nikkei index gained 0.8% in Tokyo, while the Hang Seng of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange gained 2.4%. Mainland Chinese markets are still closed, with trading to resume on Friday. Investors will be paying attention on Thursday to the minutes of the european Central Bank's (ECB) latest monetary policy meeting, as well as weekly applications for unemployment benefits in the United States. Industrial production figures in Germany, expected at 8:00 a.m., will also be monitored.

The yield on the ten-year U.S. Treasury note is rising again thursday morning, after relaxing the day before at the end of the session. It had previously reached 1.57%, its highest level since June, due to heightened inflation fears. Thursday at 7:35 am, it stood at 1.540%, against 1.524% Wednesday night. These fears focus on the difficulties of supply chains that amplify pressures on the prices of energy, goods and services.

The euro stabilizes against the dollar on Thursday morning, trading at $1.1557.

Oil contracts are losing ground Thursday morning, in the wake of the decline in natural gas prices overnight, after Russia and the United States sought to reassure the market about their ability to supply it. At 7:25 a.m., the December Contract for North Sea Brent was down 32 cents to $80.76 a barrel. The November contract for light sweet crude (WTI) listed on the Nymex lost 66 cents, to $76.77 a barrel.