European stock exchanges are expected to open higher on Friday, as all eyes turn to the meeting scheduled for the evening between American President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The investment company Eurazeo for its part announced that it has entered into exclusive discussions with the British company Inspired Pet Nutrition in order to sell it its stake in Ultra Premium Direct, a French company specialized in the direct sale of animal food for animals of company.

The Financial Markets Authority announced Thursday evening that the Brazilian investment company Gestao de Investimentos (BWGI) held 77.05% of the capital and 69.15% of the voting rights of Verallia after its takeover bid.

At around 7:40am, the CAC 40 futures contract gained 0.7%, according to data from broker IG.

After the new record set by the S&P 500 on Wall Street on Thursday, European index futures rose on Friday morning, while a new round of indicators is expected in the United States during the day. According to data from broker IG, the DAX 40 futures contract in Frankfurt rose by 0.5% around 7:40am, while that on the FTSE 100 in London rose by 0.6%.

The White House spokesperson said Thursday that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold a joint press conference after their meeting scheduled for Friday evening in Alaska. The American president estimated that the Russian president would agree to reach an agreement on Ukraine, while assessing the risk of the summit failing at 25%

On the tariff side, American negotiators sent the European Union (EU) their version of the trade agreement announced at the end of July by Donald Trump and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. According to Commission spokesperson Olf Gill, “It is an important document. This is our road map to move forward from now on and it has to be right.”

The New York Stock Exchange closed close to balance on Thursday, which did not prevent the S&P 500 from surpassing its all-time high set the day before. The indices have generally erased their decline at the beginning of the session due to the announcement of new tensions on the prices paid by American companies.
The Dow Jones index fell slightly, at 44,911.26 points, while the S&P 500 gained 2 points, at 6,468.54 points. The Nasdaq Composite, rich in technological stocks, fell somewhat to 21,710.67 points.
The producer price index in the United States rose by 0.9% in July compared to June, the US Department of Labor announced on Thursday. This increase - the largest since May 2022 - is significantly higher than the 0.2% that economists expected.
In Asia, the Nikkei index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange jumped by 1.6% on Friday at the end of trading. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.8%, while the Hang Seng on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange fell by 1.1%.
Japan's gross domestic product grew by 0.3% in the second quarter compared to the first and thus grew for the fifth quarter in a row, according to preliminary statistics released on Friday. This data could reinforce expectations that the Bank of Japan will resume tightening monetary policy by the end of the year.
On the other hand, signs of a slowdown in the Chinese economy increased in July. Retail sales in China grew by 3.7% year on year last month, the statistics agency said on Friday, after a 4.8% increase in June. Industrial production increased by 5.7% over one year, compared to an increase of 6.6% in June. Investments in buildings, factories, and other fixed assets have also slowed. Unemployment in urban areas increased to 5.2% in July from 5% in June.

The two-year stock rate fell 1.1 basis points to 3.73%. At around 7:40am, the 10-year US Treasury bond rate lost 1.6 basis points, to 4.27%.

The euro gained 0.2% to $1.1667. The greenback lost 0.4% against the Japanese currency, at 147.13 yen, around 7:40am.

Before the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, oil prices gave way this morning. Market players are cautious ahead of this meeting on Ukraine. According to analyst Ramy Zeytouni, they consider that it could just as well result in an easing of sanctions on crude oil as in tighter measures

The September contract for soft light crude (WTI) listed on Nymex lost 21 cents, or 0.3%, to $63.75 per barrel. At around 7:40am, the October contract for North Sea Brent traded in London sold 20 cents, or 0.3%, to $66.64