FTSE 100 LIVE: European stocks rise as traders digest US tech earnings and Bank of Japan decision

The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) and European stocks were higher on Friday, for the last trading session of the week, after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) kept its monetary policy unchanged at the conclusion of its two-day meeting. Interest rates remained on hold around zero, as widely expected, while the central bank removed a reference to the amount of government bonds it has roughly committed to buying each month. It also issued fresh estimates projecting inflation to stay near its 2% …