<p>U.S. stocks edged higher on Thursday, following a better-than-expected economic data, ahead of Friday’s highly anticipated jobs report for August.</p><p>Data showed the private sector added 176,000 jobs in August, with 165,000 positions added in the service sector. Economists expected ADP to report private jobs growth of 180,000.</p><p>On the international front, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England kept short-term interest rates steady on Thursday. The Bank of Japan also kept monetary policy unchanged and revised up its assessment of the economy.</p>
