Shares in European markets showed modest gains in Friday's trading session, following a mixed performance in Asia where many markets were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. Tokyo's stock market closed slightly higher, up less than 0.1%, after hitting a 34-year high earlier in the day. The boost came after a Bank of Japan official indicated that the central bank is likely to maintain its loose monetary policy even if it raises its benchmark rate above zero.
Meanwhile, Germany's DAX remained relatively unchanged at 16,973.32, and the CAC 40 in Paris also saw little movement at 7,665.13. On the other hand, Britain's FTSE 100 managed to rise 0.1% to 7,605.15. In the futures market, the S&P 500 gained less than 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained unchanged.
