(Updates all prices)

* Yen moves in focus after Thursday's intervention

* Wall Street futures steady

* Big tech earnings boost sentiment

* Oil firms on Iranian threats, but off four-year peaks

By Wayne Cole and Lucy Raitano

LONDON/SYDNEY, May 1 (Reuters) - Global shares steadied

on Friday, as investors focused on currency markets after the

yen jumped against the dollar in European trading a day after

Tokyo authorities were believed to have intervened to prop up

the currency.

The dollar lost as much as 1% against the yen in a matter of

minutes on Friday before moderating. It was last down 0.1% on

the day at 156.54.

"The move is clearly - thus far anyway - a lot more modest

than the moves that we saw in dollar-yen yesterday," said Mike

Brown, senior research analyst at Pepperstone.

Japanese authorities stepped into the markets to haul the

currency back from near two-year lows on Thursday.

IS MORE INTERVENTION LIKELY?

Comments from Japan's top foreign exchange diplomat Atsushi

Mimura and the yen's jump sparked speculation among currency

traders of another round of intervention by Japan.

U.S. futures were steady, while most major European markets

were closed for holidays. The FTSE 100, one of the few

bourses open, was last down 0.5%.

Market watchers are digesting this week's upbeat earnings at

major tech companies that drove Wall Street to record highs on

Thursday.

Apple ( AAPL ) rose in pre-market trading on Friday after

reporting third-quarter sales growth above estimates.

Global shares clocked their biggest monthly rise since 2020

in April, buoyed by earnings optimism even as oil flows remain

disrupted through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Iran on Thursday said it would respond with "long and

painful strikes" on U.S. positions if Washington renewed attacks

and restated its claim to the strait.

A senior United Arab Emirates official said on Friday Tehran

could not be trusted over any unilateral arrangements it makes

for the Strait of Hormuz, in a sign of deep mistrust on all

sides as efforts to end the war in the Middle East remained at

an impasse.

Brent crude firmed 0.8% to $111.3 a barrel.

JAPAN DRAWS A LINE FOR YEN

Most of the day's focus will likely be on currency markets

as the Japanese yen was poised for its strongest weekly rally

since early February, while investors remained on alert for

further action from Japan's Ministry of Finance.

"From here, the market will look for actual intervention

rather than stern warnings to the market, and whether the U.S.

side speaks up in favour of Japan's actions," wrote Saxo market

strategists in a Friday note.

Elsewhere, the euro rose 0.2% to $1.1754 and away

from a three-week trough of $1.1655. The pound ticked 0.1%

higher to a 10-week high at $1.36035.

It has been a central-bank-heavy week after the Bank of England,

European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve all kept rates on

hold even as spiking energy prices have raised the risk of

inflation.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said board

members were debating whether to increase rates and noted that

data over the next six weeks would decide the issue.

"The messages conveyed during the press conference leave us

with a distinct perception that the consensus among governors is

that they will hike policy rates at the next meeting on June

11," analysts at Citi said in a note.

"We find no reason to alter our expectation of back-to-back

rate hikes in June and July."

That followed a hawkish shift from the Federal Reserve on

Wednesday, leading markets to give up hope for a rate cut there

this year.

The pivot left U.S. 10-year Treasury yields up 8 basis

points on the week at 4.390%, but off a top of

4.436%.