At the end of the week, European equity markets are expected to rise ahead of Powell's speech. However, the Eurostoxx 50 is at 4,885.00 points (-0.01%), the CAC 40 at 7,524.11 points (-0.01%), the DAX 40 at 18,493.39 points (+0.24%), the FTSE 100 at 8,288.00 points (-0.01%), the FTSE 100 at 8,288.00 points (+0.06%), the SMI at 12,305.45 points (+0.45%), the AEX at 908.36 points (+0.24%), the FTSE 100 at 8,288.00 points (+0.06%), the SMI at 12,305.45 points (+0.45%), the AEX at 908.36 points (+0.08%), the BEL 20 at 4,109.04 points (+0.33%), the IBEX 35 at 11,156.30 points (+0.37%), the DJIA at 40,712.78 points (-0.43%), the Nasdaq at 17,619.35 points (+0.43%), the Nasdaq at 17,619.35 points (-1.67%), the S&P 500 at 5,570.64 points (-0.89%) and the Nikkei 225 & agrave; 38,331.39 points

On the exchange rate side, the change from the close in New York indicates that the EUR/USD opened at 1.128 (+0.13%), the EUR/JPY at 162.21 (-0.22%), and the USD/JPY at 145.78 (-0.36%), the EUR/JPY at 162.21 (-0.22%) and the USD/JPY at 145.78 (-0.36%).

Emmanuel Macron is starting consultations at the Elysée Palace this Friday with the leaders of parties and parliamentary groups with a view to the formation of a new government, more than a month after the resignation of that of Gabriel Attal. The President of the Republic receives on Friday morning the representatives of the left-wing coalition New Popular Front, which came out on top after the legislative elections but without an absolute majority.

On the macroeconomic side, the business climate index for the month of August will be published at 8:45am.

European equity markets are expected to start Friday trading slightly higher, as investors await the speech by Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell during the Jackson Hole meeting. At 7:30am, the CAC 40 futures contract took 9.1 points, or 0.1%, according to data from the broker IG. The one on the DAX 40 rose by 13.8 points, or 0.1%, and the one on the FTSE 100 rose

Jérôme Powell's speech could provide clearer indications on the evolution of interest rates, as the central bank prepares to reduce borrowing costs in order to support the job market in the United States.

On Friday morning, federal funds futures incorporate a 73.5% probability that rates will be cut by 25 basis points in September, compared to a 26.5% probability for a reduction of 50 basis points, according to CME's FedWatch tool.

The New York Stock Exchange sank into the red on Thursday during a session marked by tensions on bond rates, while investors awaited statements from central bankers at the Jackson Hole Symposium.

The indexes erased most of the gains made this week, after benefiting since mid-August from the easing of recession fears in the United States. In Asia, the Nikkei 225 index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 0.3% on Friday at the end of trading, the Hang Seng lost 0.4% in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite

US Treasury bond yields fell slightly on Friday morning, after rising sharply on Thursday. Around 7:20 a.m., the 10-year US Treasury bond rate lost 0.7 basis points, to 3.850%. That of the two-year stock lost 1.2 basis points, to 4.004%

US Treasury yields could “increase a bit” given the likelihood that Fed Chair Jerome Powell will “adopt a moderate tone” during his speech at Jackson Hole on Friday, says Felipe Villarroel, of TwentyFour Asset Management.

Felipe Villarroel believes that a rate cut of 50 basis points in September, instead of the more usual 25 basis points cut, is unlikely at this stage. “The economy and the job market are decelerating, but remain at a reasonable pace.

The euro appreciated against the dollar on Friday morning, but fell against the yen, like the greenback. While attention is focused on Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole, traders will be watching for any sign of when, how fast and how big the rate cuts are to come, says MUFG Bank

Crude oil futures are gaining some traction on Friday morning as traders look at diverging signals. On the one hand, concerns about the economic slowdown in China are weighing heavily on demand for rough diamonds, George Khoury, head of education and research at CFI, said in an email. On the other hand, the prospect of a rate cut by the Fed in September is generating mixed reactions in the market, he adds

At 7:20 a.m., the October Brent contract listed in London rose 6 cents to 77.28 dollars per barrel. The contract with the same maturity on light sweet crude (WTI) listed on Nymex also gained 6 cents, at $73.07