U.S. stocks mostly rose on Thursday in anticipation of results from tech heavyweights Alphabet and Amazon, while the yen eased after Reuters reported the Bank of Japan was considering expanding monetary stimulus to address signs of weak inflation.
Expectations of further stimulus in Japan have dominated currency trading in recent weeks and overshadowed the U.S. central bank's policy-setting statement on Wednesday, when the Federal Reserve indicated it was in no rush to raise interest rates.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI closed down 15.82 points, or 0.09 percent, to 18,456.35. The S&P 500 .SPX rose 3.48 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,170.06 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 15.17 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,154.98.
Asian shares held near one-year highs while the yen hit a two-week high on Friday in nervous trade as investors waited to see if the Bank of Japan will come up with stimulus that would meet markets' expectations.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was flat in early trade while Japan's Nikkei .N225 slipped 0.1 percent.
Reference: Reuters
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