Equity markets expected to rise after Wall Street's strong rally. The Eurostoxx 50 at 3,777.02 points (+1.13%), the CAC 40 at 6,508.14 points (+0.98%), the DAX 40 at 13,979.84 points (+1.35%), the FTSE 100 at 7,509.19 points (+1.13%), the SMI at 12,068.41 points (+0.14%), the AEX at 705.93 points (+1.38%), the BEL 20 at 4,092.72 points (-0.35%), the IBEX 35 at 8,512.20 points (+0.41%), the DJIA at 33,916.39 points (+1.85%), the Nasdaq at 12,871.53 points (+3.06%), the S&P 500 at 4,287.50 points (+2.47%) and the Nikkei 225 at 26,847.90 points (+1.8%).
As far as exchange rates are concerned, the change from the close in New York indicates that EUR/USD is at 1.0520 (-0.15%), EUR/JPY at 137.41 (+0.04%) and USD/JPY at 130.62 (-0.15%). 
The audiovisual group TF1 reported revenue up 10.1% in the first quarter, supported by the recovery in advertising spending in sectors that had reduced their investments during the pandemic. Industrial minerals producer Imerys on Thursday reported slightly higher first-quarter results and said it was shutting down operations in Russia. Building materials producer Saint-Gobain confirmed that it expects a further increase in its operating profit in 2022, after seeing its growth accelerate in the first quarter in a context of increase supported by the prices of its products.
On the side of economic indicators, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the France stagnated (+0.0%) in quarterly variation in the first quarter, announced Friday the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), as part of a first estimate. This stagnation follows an increase of 0.8% in the fourth quarter of 2021. Preliminary consumer price statistics for April, as well as those on housing construction in March, will be released at 8:45 a.m.
European equity markets are expected to open higher on Friday, in the wake of Wall Street's rebound led by technology stocks. At 7:45 a.m., the CAC 40 futures contract gained 89.8 points, or 1.4%, according to data from broker IG Markets. The contract on the DAX 40 was up 200 points, or 1.4%, and the FTSE 100 contract was up 77.2 points, or 1%.

The New York Stock Exchange ended sharply higher on Thursday, supported by technology stocks after reassuring results from Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company. Meta Platforms shares rose 17.6% on Thursday. The announcement of an unexpected contraction in US GDP in the first quarter did little to change the trend. The U.S. economy fell 1.4 percent in annualized terms, the Commerce Department said Thursday, as consensus expected growth of 1 percent over the period. Operators believe that the market is ready for a recovery after the recent fall in technology stocks, especially following the disappointment caused by Netflix's results. In Asia, markets are trading in the green on Friday. The Hang Seng gained 2% in Hong Kong and the Shanghai Composite gained 0.4%. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is closed on Friday.

U.S. Treasury yields fell on Friday morning, after rising for a second consecutive session on Thursday, as traders disregarded the contraction of the U.S. economy in the first quarter. the first since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago.

The euro lost some ground on Friday morning against the dollar but was unchanged against the yen. The dollar, for its part, fell slightly against the Japanese currency. While the greenback remains at its highest levels in several years against the euro, the yen and the pound sterling, DBS Research indicates that the strength of the dollar is beginning to inspire some doubts, pointing out that the record trade deficit has weighed on the growth of the gross domestic product of the United States. Record trade deficits, accompanied by inflation at its highest level in 40 years and a flattening of the yield curve, rarely bode well for any currency, said Philip Wee, fx strategist at DBS Research.

Oil contracts continue to climb Friday morning, after ending Thursday's session sharply higher, supported by a Wall Street Journal report that Germany is ready to stop buying Russian oil. At 7:25 a.m., the June contract for North Sea Brent gained 91 cents, at $108.50 a barrel, and the same maturity contract for light sweet crude (WTI) listed on the Nymex was up 59 cents, at $105.96 a barrel.