The Paris Bourse is set to start Friday morning in the red, as investors continue to digest the latest announcements from the European Central Bank (ECB).

At around 8:15 a.m., the 'future' contract on the CAC 40 index - December delivery - dropped 21 points to 7406 points, pointing to an opening in negative territory.

At the close of its Governing Council meeting on Thursday, the ECB decided to lower its key rates for the fourth consecutive time this year.

The institution's monetary policy statement and the press conference given by its President, Christine Lagarde, also reinforced expectations of further monetary easing in 2025.

While this prospect is generally favorable for equity markets, some observers were disappointed by the tone of the ECB's speech and its lack of willingness to further support growth with a much more accommodating monetary policy.

Ann-Katrin Petersen, strategist at the BlackRock Investment Institute, notes that the central bank did not really reserve a 'Christmas present' for the markets, ruling out the implementation of more substantial support measures.

"Yet, despite encouraging signs of a recovery in private consumption, the eurozone is facing obstacles to growth, ranging from rising US tariffs to growing geopolitical fragmentation and political uncertainty in several countries", explains the professional.

As a result, the CAC 40 closed yesterday's session at equilibrium, at 7,420 points, and is heading for an unchanged or almost unchanged weekly balance sheet.

Investors are also awaiting a new salvo of economic indicators this Friday, including inflation figures for France and Spain, as well as industrial production in the eurozone.

Operators are also keeping an eye on political developments in France, where a new prime minister is due to be officially appointed in the morning.

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