European markets should pick up some colors while waiting for the Fed's minutes. The Eurostox 50 opens at 4,052.67 points (-0.85%), the CAC 40  at  6,507.48 points (-0.91%), the DAX 30 at 15,511.38 points (-0.96%), the FTSE 100 at 7,100.88 points (-0.89%), the SMI at 11,965.22 points (-0.02%), the AEX  at 731.48 points (-0.34%), the BEL 20 at 4,159.25 points (-0.35%), the IBEX 35 at 8,860.80 points (-0.96%), the DJIA  at 34,577.37 points (-0.60%), the Nasdaq  at 14,663.64 points (+0.17%), the S&P 500 at 4,343.54 points (-0.20%) and the Nikkei 225 at  28,298.47 points (-1.20%).

On the exchange side, the variation from the close in New York indicates that EUR/USD opens on a stable note of 1.1823, EUR/JPY at 130.69 (-0.08%) and USD/JPY at 110.55 (-0.07%).

European equity markets are expected to open slightly higher on Wednesday morning, regaining some colors after their decline the day before. At 7:30 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 11 points, or 0.2%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The CONTRACT on the DAX 30 advanced by 13 points, or 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 contract was up 8 points, or 0.1%.  Investors are also waiting for the minutes of the last monetary policy meeting of the Federal Reserve (Fed), scheduled for publication at 20:00. These minutes could provide guidance on when the U.S. central bank might begin to cut asset purchases or raise interest rates. In Europe, they will monitor Germany's industrial production figures in May, as well as the European Commission's summer economic forecast. On Tuesday, Wall Street finished in scattered order, allowing the Nasdaq to set a new record. Investors took their profits on non-tech stocks after highs reached last week. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) closed down 0.6% to 34,677 points. The broader S&P 500 index lost 0.2% to 4,343 points. The Nasdaq Composite, on the other hand, rose 0.2% to 14,663.64 points. In Asia, the main stock market indices presented a mixed picture on Wednesday. At the end of the session, the Nikkei index fell 1.3% in Tokyo, penalized by the fear that new containment measures would be adopted in the Japanese capital to fight against a new wave of Covid-19. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng lost 1.1% in Hong Kong, due to Beijing's crackdown on major Chinese tech groups. The Shanghai Composite Index, on the other hand, gained 0.4%.

U.S. Treasury yields recovered Wednesday morning, after posting their third decline in four sessions the day before. At 7:30 a.m., the yield on the ten-year bond, the market benchmark, stood at 1.360%, against 1.351% on Tuesday night and 1.437% on Friday. The benchmark yield has fallen 0.38 percentage points from a high of 1.749% in March, but is still up 0.456 percentage points year-to-date. Investors seem to be taking a more subdued view of inflation after a series of mixed economic indicators. The Fed's minutes are expected to provide clarity on how the central bank interprets recently released indicators.

The euro shows a slight rise against the dollar on Wednesday morning. However, JPMorgan says the July U.S. jobs report "reinforces our view that the June meeting of the Fed's monetary policy committee was a turning point that will provide greater and more widespread support to the dollar." "The main discussions with our clients about our guidance for the second half of 2021 focus on the extent of the dollar's appreciation and the ability of high-beta currencies to perform generally," adds the bank. 

Oil prices are moving little Wednesday morning, in an uncertain context for the outlook for global oil production after the indefinite postponement of the last meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). According to CBA Bank, disagreements between the UAE and Saudi Arabia could become problematic for the smooth running of upcoming meetings of OPEC and its allies, but it is more likely that the two sides will eventually find common ground. "OPEC+ will eventually reach an agreement to increase oil production for the rest of the year," the bank said. At 7:25 a.m., the September contract for North Sea Brent gained 6 cents to $74.59 a barrel and the August contract for Nymex-traded light sweet crude (WTI) gained 13 cents to $73.50 a barrel.