pU.S. stocks edged higher on Thursday, following a better-than-expected economic data, ahead of Friday’s highly anticipated jobs report for August.ppData 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.ppOn 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.