[Reuters – UK Focus] – The yen hit an 18-month high on Friday as investors bet the Bank of Japan might be done adding stimulus to the economy, while stocks in Europe and on Wall Street headed lower as earnings disappointed. Major European stock indexes closed down more than 2 percent and U.S. equities were about 0.7 percent lower. The yen has gained 3 percent since Thursday when the BOJ decided to hold monetary policy steady in the face of soft global demand and the yen’s recent sharp rise.

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