European shares edge higher, but mixed data limit gains

July 13 (Reuters) – European shares edged higher on Thursday as U.S. inflation data fuelled hopes that the Federal Reserve was on the brink of ending its post-pandemic tightening cycle, although a raft of mixed economic data limited further upside. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) edged up 0.1% by 0708 GMT. In the previous session, the benchmark index logged its biggest percentage gain since early June after a faster-than-expected slowdown in U.S. consumer inflation reinforced bets that the Fed could end its rate hikes after July. Keeping a lid on risk sentiment was weak trade data from China, while…