LONDON—European shares edged higher on Friday and were set for a small weekly gain as investors waited for U.S. jobs data to indicate the health of the world’s biggest economy, while recession fears receded slightly.
Comments by U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers and news of Chinese fiscal stimulus on Thursday had improved sentiment, analysts said, but this was tempered by news of the shooting of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who died of his injuries on Friday.
Fed Governor Christopher Waller called recession fears “overblown,” while St. Louis Fed Bank President James Bullard said he saw a “good chance” of a soft landing for the economy….