Asia stocks steady after US tech rout, yen slips as BOJ stands pat

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks steadied on Friday, taking in stride the resumption of the U.S. technology rout overnight, and European shares look set for a positive start following Thursday's losses. The Japanese yen remained near a two-week low against the dollar after the Bank of Japan left monetary policy unchanged as expected even as its U.S. counterpart signalled further tightening. It was trading 0.3 percent lower at 111.23 yen per dollar after the BOJ left in place its program to buy Japanese government bonds, and kept its short-term interest rate target at minus 0.1 percent and its 10-year government bond yield target at around zero percent. As expected, the central bank offered a more upbeat view on private consumption and overseas economies, signalling its confidence that the recovery was gaining momentum. Financial Astrology Tips

Japan's Nikkei advanced 0.7 percent, narrowing its loss for the week to 0.3 percent. "The market was relieved that there was no mention of an exit strategy, at least for now," said Yoshinori Shigemi, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped about 0.1 percent, on track to end the week down 0.85 percent. Financial spreadbetters expect Britain's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 to all open up about 0.2 percent. Astrology and Numerology Trading Tips