By Peter Nurse

- European stock markets are expected to open higher Friday in thin holiday-affected volumes ahead of the release of more regional growth, inflation, and confidence data.

At 02:00 ET (07:00 GMT), the contract in Germany traded 0.6% higher, in France climbed 0.3%, and the contract in the U.K. rose 0.3%.

Economic data released this week has helped the European markets approach the close of the year with a degree of optimism that the recession expected for the region in 2023 may not be as bad as first feared.

There are more numbers to digest on Friday - a day that sees the U.K. stock market close early ahead of the Christmas holiday - with Spanish third-quarter , , and data all due for release this session.

That said, the bulk of attention will be on the U.S. economic data calendar, with data, the Federal Reserve’s favorite inflation gauge due later on Friday, which will provide more clues on the direction of prices as 2023 draws near.

In corporate news, Nestle (SIX:) could be in the spotlight Friday after the Swiss food giant’s Chief Financial Officer François-Xavier Roger foresees a challenging six months before inflation starts to ease in the second half of 2023.

Oil prices rose Friday on expectations that Russian supply will be reduced in the new year, while traders digest the impact of the winter storm hitting the U.S.

Russia will halt sales of its oil to the countries which support the price caps introduced by the G7 countries earlier this month, which may cut oil output by 5%-7% in early 2023, the RIA news agency cited Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying on Friday.

This would tighten global supply even further, likely boosting prices as demand increases, particularly from China as it recovers from its latest COVID outbreak.

Meanwhile, a winter storm is hitting large parts of the U.S., triggering warnings from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. This has resulted in thousands of flights being canceled, but also an increase in demand for energy to heat homes and offices.

By 02:00 ET, futures traded 0,9% higher at $78.19 a barrel, while the contract rose 1.3% to $82.04.

Additionally, rose 0.4% to $1,802.90/oz, while traded 0.2% higher at 1.0609.