BOJ under intense pressure as it defends yield policy
Yen hits 7mth high, yuan climbs as dollar eases
More earnings ahead, many central bank speakers
Britain39;s FTSE flirts with record high

SYDNEYLONDON, Jan 16 Reuters Shares firmed on Monday as optimism over corporate earnings and China39;s reopening offset concerns the Bank of Japan BOJ might temper its supersized stimulus policy at a pivotal meeting this week, while a holiday in U.S. markets made for thin trading.

The yen climbed to its highest since May after rumours swirled the BOJ might hold an emergency meeting on Monday as it struggles to defend its new yield ceiling in the face of massive selling.

That had local markets in an anxious mood, and Japan39;s Nikkei slipped 1.3 to a twoweek low.

Yet MSCI39;s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan added 0.27, with hopes for a speedy Chinese reopening giving it a gain of 4.2 last week.

And European shares opened positively with the STOXX 600 up 0.1 by 0850 GMT driven by healthcare stocks which gained 0.6.

Britain39;s benchmark FTSE index edged close to the record high of 7903.50 it hit in 2018, with banks and life insurance companies among the top gainers.

Earnings season gathers steam this week with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Netflix among those reporting.

World leaders, policy makers and top corporate chiefs will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, and there are a host of central bankers speaking, including no fewer than nine…