European equity markets should hesitate at the opening. This Friday, June 18, 2021, the Eurostoxx 50 posted 4,158.14 points with an increase of 0.15%, the CAC 40 expects 6,666.26 points (+0.20%), the DAX 30 opens at 15,727.67 points (+0.11%), the FTSE 100 at 7,153.43 points down 0.44%, the SMI at 12,011.11 points (+0.24%), the AEX  at 734.89 points (+0.19%), the BEL 20 4,204.39 points (-0.52%), the IBEX 35 to 9,195.90 points (-0.07%), the DJIA to 33,823.45 points (-0.62%), the Nasdaq to 14,161.35 points (+0.87%), the S&P 500 to 4,221.86 points (-0.04%) and the Nikkei 225 which expects 28,998.04 points down 0.07%.

Exchange rates at 06:50 close in New York 1.1915  for EUR/USD, an increase of 0.07%,  131.34 for EUR/JPY up 0.07% and USD/JPY which opens on 110.24 with a decline of 0.01%.

In France, Aramis made its debut on Euronext Paris on Friday. The specialist in the online sale of used cars has raised 250 million euros as part of its IPO, the largest on the Paris market since that of La Française des Jeux in 2019. The founders and some minority shareholders of Aramis Group sold €138 million worth of shares in the IPO, while the automotive group Stellantis did not sell any shares and remains the majority shareholder of the company. In addition, Alstom has been awarded a landmark €2.6 billion contract by Danish national railway operator Danish State Railways (DSB). TF1 and Free, a subsidiary of the Iliad group, have signed a new distribution agreement to extend their partnership. Danone has entered into an agreement to sell its plant-based brand Vega to WM Partners for an unspecified amount. McPhy announced Thursday the appointment of Luc Poyer as chairman of the company's board of directors. Luc Poyer succeeds Pascal Mauberger who remains a director of the company and becomes its honorary president.

European equity markets are expected to move little on Friday at the opening as investors continue to assimilate the Federal Reserve's (Fed) new rate outlook. At 7:45 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract was up 8.6 points, or 0.1%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The DAX 30 contract was down 7 points, or 0.04%, and the FTSE 100 contract was down 5 points, or 0.07%. Investors will be watching negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in Washington on an infrastructure plan to support the U.S. economy after the health crisis.

Thursday evening, Wall Street ended in a contrasting fashion on Thursday, put under pressure by the decline in industrial and financial stocks despite the sharp advance in technology in the wake of the Federal Reserve 'Fed') announcements. The Dow Jones Index (DJIA) fell 0.6% to 33,823 points, and the broader S&P 500 Index fell 0.04% to 4,221.86 points. Against the trend, the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.9% to 14,161.35 points.

In Asia, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) announced on Friday that it will set up a new lending facility to help banks finance climate change-related projects. The lending program, which will be launched this year, will build on a previous program to help banks lend to growth sectors of the economy. After these announcements, the Nikkei Nikkei index was close to balance at the end of the session in Tokyo. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Hang Seng Index gained 0.6 percent, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.5 percent.

U.S. Treasury yields rose slightly on Friday morning, after fluctuating sharply the day before in response to the Fed's announcements. At 7:45 a.m., the yield on the ten-year bond, the market benchmark, stood at 1.516%, against 1.509% on Thursday night. Traders and strategists attribute these fluctuations in part to short positions, bets on position unwindings and the impression that sovereign yields may not be in line with inflation expectations, which eased on Thursday. The yield curve, which reflects the difference between long-term and short-term debt, has also flattened. Meanwhile, funds placed with the Federal Reserve (Fed) as part of its repurchase agreements rose again on Thursday the day after the deposit rate was raised to 0.05%. The "reverse repo" mechanism attracted a record $756 billion on Thursday, up from $520 billion on Wednesday, amid abundant liquidity in money markets.  

The dollar stabilizes Friday morning against other major currencies, including the euro, after recording solid gains the day before due to the more restrictive tone than expected adopted by the Federal Reserve (Fed), analysts say. For its part, Saxo Bank believes that the euro could weaken further against the dollar after the Fed's latest projections. If the single currency breaks the threshold of $1.1920, it could fall to $1.1750, Saxo Bank estimates. And if this last threshold is also depressed, the next target for the euro will be at 1.1500 dollars, adds the bank. At 7:45 a.m., the euro was trading at $1.1901.

Oil contracts continue their decline on Friday morning, after falling nearly 2% the day before due to the appreciation of the dollar following the Fed's change in tone. At the same time, Brent could suffer profit-taking in the event of progress in the Iranian nuclear negotiations. At 7:35 a.m., the August contract for North Sea Brent lost 66 cents to $72.42 a barrel and the July contract for Nymex-listed light sweet crude (WTI) dropped 56 cents to $70.48 a barrel.