European equity markets are expected to open in the green. The Eurostoxx 50 opened at 4,177.11 points with a decline of 0.04%, the CAC 40 at 6,684.72 points (+0.24%), the DAX 30 at 15,623.15 points (+0.08%), the FTSE 100 at 7,024.21 points (-1.01%), the SMI at 12,116.43 points (-0.81%), the AEX at 787.17 points (-0.23%), the BEL 20 at 4,215.88 points (-0.33%), the IBEX 35 at 8,800.60 points (-0.43%), the DJIA at 34,879.38 points (-0.43%), the Nasdaq at 15,248.25 points (-0.25%), the S&P 500 at 4,493.28 points (-0.46%) and the Nikkei 225 at 30,321.46 points up 1.04%.

As far as the exchange rate is concerned, the change from the close in New York indicates that the EUR/USD opens at 1.1830   and gains 0.04%, the EUR/JPY at 129.95 (0.16%) and the USD/JPY at 109.87   with a rebound of 0.12%.

Investors will be watching August industrial production figures on Friday. On the corporate side, the market will react to the reshuffle of the composition of the indices announced Thursday evening by Euronext. The medical and food analysis laboratory Eurofins Scientific will join the CAC 40 index on 20 September, replacing the IT services group Atos. The waste collection and recycling group and business services Derichebourg will be included in the SBF 120 index on the same date. The distribution and storage group of petroleum products Rubis has also announced that it is targeting growth in its operating net income in 2021, thanks in particular to the continuation of the "good momentum" of Rubis Energie, its distribution and "support & services" division. In the first half of the year, Rubis' current operating income (ROC) was €188 million, up 10% compared to the corresponding period in 2020.

European equities are expected to rise on Friday at the opening, reacting favorably to announcements by the European Central Bank (ECB), which on Thursday raised its growth forecast for the euro zone in 2021 to 5%. At 7:40 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 20 points, or 0.3%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The CONTRACT on the DAX was up 39 points, or 0.25%, and the FTSE 100 contract was up 24 points, or 0.3%. Investors will follow final inflation figures in Germany in August, UK gross domestic product (GDP) in July and producer prices in August in the US.

Wall Street had finished lower, despite the announcement of a decline in unemployment registrations in the United States, concerns about the Delta variant and the level of valuations weighing on investor confidence. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) ended down 0.4% to fall below 35,000 points, at 34,879.38 points. The broader S&P 500 index fell 0.5% to 4,493.28 points, held back by pharmaceutical stocks. The tech-rich Nasdaq gave up 0.3% to 15,248.25 points. In Asia, major equity markets are rising on Friday. At the end of the session, the Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 1%. The Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.4% and in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 1.8%, recovering from its sharp decline on Thursday.

The euro rose on Friday against the dollar, still supported by the European Central Bank's announcements on Thursday. 

Oil contracts are gaining ground Friday morning. At 7:30 a.m., the November Contract for North Sea Brent was gaining 56 cents to $72.01 a barrel. The October contract for light sweet crude (WTI) listed on the Nymex was up 48 cents, at $68.63 a barrel.