10 things you need to know before European markets open
Eurozone money supply and lending growth figures are coming. The figures for August are out at 9 a.m. UK time (4 a.m. ET). Analysts are expecting private lending, a key signal of economic confidence, to rise by 1.1% year-on-year, up from 0.9% and at its fastest rate since the euro crisis.
Janet Yellen is still betting on a rate hike this year. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen thinks a rate hike later this year will be appropriate, according to a speech delivered Thursday night.
Japanese core consumer prices fell for the first time in over two years. Japan's core consumer prices fell 0.1% in August from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, marking the first year-on-year drop since April 2013. The index includes oil products but excludes fresh food prices.
GE is adding 1,000 jobs in the UK. General Electric announced Thursday that it will create up to 1,000 new energy jobs in Britain after winning export financing of up to $12 billion from a British agency. GE took the actions following the shutdown of the US Export-Import Bank, which has forced the US giant to seek financing in other countries.
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and US President Barack Obama spoke on the phone. The two leaders discussed Greece's reforms to achieve debt sustainability, the Syrian refugee crisis, and efforts to bring about a successful resolution to talks on Cyprus, the White House said in a statement.
Japan Tobacco is on the edge of making a major acquisition. Japan Tobacco is in advanced talks to buy assets worth about $5 billion ($3.28 billion) from Reynolds American, including some of the Natural American Spirit tobacco brand, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
A senate vote will try to avoid a US government shutdown on October 1. The US Senate, racing against a September 30 deadline, has scheduled a procedural vote on Monday for legislation that would temporarily fund the federal government and avoid agency shutdowns on October 1. The legislation would not contain a provision that would de-fund women's health care provider Planned Parenthood. President Barack Obama has threatened to veto any funding bill that takes away the organization's funding.
Asian markets are mixed. Japan's Nikkei is up 1.24% after a bad day on Thursday, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng is basically flat, down 0.05%, and the Shanghai Composite is down 1.49%.
Brazil is pushing back a plan to slash the number of ministers. Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff has pushed back a long-awaited decision on ministerial reform until next week at the request of allied parties, according to a statement from the presidential palace on Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in the US. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Thursday for a state visit and talks with President Barack Obama expected to be clouded by differences over alleged Chinese cyber spying, Beijing's economic policies and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.