Markets were mixed on Friday after forecast-topping earnings from Microsoft and Alphabet helped soothe worries that a tech-fuelled rally may have been overdone, while the yen hit a fresh 34-year low after the Bank of Japan stood pat on interest rates.
However, the mood was clouded by fresh worries about the economic outlook after worse-than-expected US data combined with a forecast-topping print on core inflation that fanned speculation the country could top into stagflation.
