EDINBURGH, July 11 (Reuters) - European stocks were seen edging higher on Friday, consolidating after steep falls in the previous session but still set for a sharp weekly loss, as Portugal's biggest bank attempted to reassure investors after trading in its shares was suspended.     Portugal's PSI share index  
  .PSI20
   fell 4.2 percent to a nine-month low on Thursday, lagging all other European benchmarks, after shares and bonds of Espirito Santo Financial Group  
  ESF.LS
  , the chief shareholder in Banco Espirito Santo  
  BES.LS
  , were suspended over "material difficulties" at parent firm ESI.  
  ID:nL6N0PL50I
       Portugal's stock market regulator halted trading in the bank after the shares fell 19 percent. Ahead of the resumption of trade on Friday, Banco Espirito Santo said that losses on loans to the troubled business empire of its founding family will not put the bank at risk of running short of capital.  
  ID:nL6N0PL63V
       Concerns over the financial sector hit shares as far away as the United States and Japan, and events in Portugal made investors nervous across Europe.      The FTSEurofirst 300 index  
  .FTEU3
   of top European shares closed 1 percent lower at 1,349.89 on Thursday, down 3.2 percent for the week.     Shares were set to rebound slightly on Friday, with financial spreadbetter Capital Spreads expecting Britain's FTSE 100  
  .FTSE
   to open 10 points higher, or up 0.2 percent, Germany's DAX  
  .GDAXI
   to open 25 points higher, or up 0.3 percent, and France's CAC 40  
  .FCHI
   to open up 13 points, or 0.3 percent higher.               Europe bourses in 2014: (
  http://link.reuters.com/pad95v
 )     Asset performance in 2014: (
  http://link.reuters.com/rav46v
 ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------   MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0505 GMT:                                                        LAST   PCT CHG  NET CHG  S&P 500               
  .SPX
                   1,964.68   -0.41 %    -8.15  NIKKEI                
  .N225
                  15132.39   -0.55 %   -84.08  MSCI ASIA EX-JP       
  .MIAPJ0000PUS
            497.08   -0.35 %    -1.76  EUR/USD               
  EUR=
                     1.3598   -0.08 %  -0.0011  USD/JPY               
  JPY=
                     101.22   -0.09 %  -0.0900  10-YR US TSY YLD      
  US10YT=RR
                 2.527        --    -0.01  10-YR BUND YLD        
  EU10YT=RR
                 1.203        --     0.00  SPOT GOLD             
  XAU=
                  $1,337.20    0.17 %    $2.30  US CRUDE              
  CLc1
                    $102.77   -0.16 %    -0.16        > GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares prove resilient to euro jitters     
  MKTS/GLOB
     > US STOCKS-Wall St ends lower on angst over Portugal's bank woes     
  .N
     > Nikkei falls for 5th day, hit by Portugal bank fallout         
  .T
     > TREASURIES-U.S. bond prices firm on Portuguese bank jitters     
  US/N
     > FOREX-Yen gains after Portuguese bank woes unsettle stocks     
  FRX/
     > PRECIOUS-Gold gains, Portugal bank woes bring safe-haven bids     
  GOL/
     > METALS-Copper eyes 4th week of gains on tighter supply         
  MET/L
     > Oil price heads for 3rd weekly loss, Brent stays above $108     
  O/R
          (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)  ((alistair.smout@thomsonreuters.com)(+44 207 542 7064)(Reuters Messaging: alistair.smout.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))  Keywords: MARKETS EUROPE FACTORS/