The Paris Bourse is set to open on a cautious note on Friday morning, as investors look to wind down a busy week of earnings releases.

At around 8:15 a.m., the February-delivered future contract on the CAC 40 index was down 15.5 points at 7656.5 points, suggesting a slight downturn early in the day.

The Paris market seems headed for a session like those of recent days, with traders looking for concrete elements to enable them to choose a clear direction.

The New York Stock Exchange finished higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 index setting new record highs and briefly breaking through the psychological 5000-point barrier.

The week's results were positive, and the publications of several heavyweights such as Kering, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Publicis were well received.

But the week just ended also revealed major disparities in global growth, with the US economy showing insolent health, far ahead of Europe and China, which are tending, at best, to stagnate.

With the prospect of a "soft landing" in the US becoming increasingly clear, statements by several Fed members have also called into question the scenario of further rate cuts.

Over the week, the CAC 40 is currently up around 1%, bringing its gains since January 1 to 1.6%.

By way of comparison, the S&P 500 can already boast an increase of 4.8% this year.

Macroeconomic conditions should have a greater influence on the markets next week, with the latest inflation figures in the USA, followed by fourth-quarter growth figures in the eurozone.

In the meantime, equity markets continue to ignore the tensions on the rates market, with the more optimistic seeing them as proof of the robustness of the US economy.

T-Bonds continue their tumble, with yields stretching towards 4.17% for the 10-year, the highest since the start of the year.

Oil consolidates moderately but heads for a weekly gain, supported by the robustness of the US economy. Brent crude is down 0.2% at $81.5 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is down 0.1% at $76.2.

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