* FTSEurofirst 300 up 0.4 percent
* Miners rebound; Fresnillo gains after results
* Traders eye strong earnings from JPMorgan later
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By Harpreet Bhal
LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - European shares edged higher on Wednesday, with beaten-down stocks, including miners, recovering after a steep decline a day earlier, although analysts expect recent strong gains may wane.
By 0905 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares was up 0.4 percent at 1,131.30 points, rebounding from its biggest one-day fall in a month on Tuesday as worries over the scale of Japan's nuclear crisis prompted a bout of profit-taking.
In a bearish signal for the medium-term outlook for the market, the FTSEurofirst 300 index held below its 50-day moving average market, which it broke below a day earlier.
The index is up more than 6 percent since hitting 3-1/2 month lows in mid March on worries over the impact of an earthquake in Japan and political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.
"In the medium-term the major equity markets are not really moving out of their tight ranges. I would think it's unlikely to see the markets push higher than the highs seen in February without some kind of catalyst," said Will Hedden, sales trader at IG Index.
Sentiment on Wednesday was also supported by gains in Asian markets, with Japan's Nikkei recouping some of the previous session's losses.
"With Asian markets up overnight that's having a knock-on effect," said Mark Foulds, dealer at ETX Capital.
Corporate earnings are expected to dominate trade in the near-term, with expectations running high for U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase which is forecasted to post a more than 50 percent rise in first quarter profits when it reports earnings later in the session.
Analysts said the market's modest gains on Wednesday were likely driven by short-term players, with longer-term investors seen staying on the sidelines awaiting further corporate earnings reports.
According to Thomson Reuters StarMine, STOXX 600 companies due to post first-quarter results in the upcoming reporting season are expected to post an average negative earnings surprise of 1 percent.
Only 1 percent of companies on the index have so far reported first-quarter earnings, with the bulk of companies scheduled to report earnings in the coming weeks.
MINERS REBOUND
Upbeat earnings helped silver producer Fresnillo rise 2.1 percent after the firm's gold production rose to a record in the first quarter and it said it was on track to meet its silver target for 2011.
Within the sector, the STOXX Europe 300 basic resources index was up 1 percent, after falling 4.3 percent in the previous session, with a rebound in metals prices supporting gains.
Industrial firms were also on the rise, with ThyssenKrupp up 3.1 percent on talk the group may sell assets to strengthen its balance sheet.
Schneider Electric added 1.3 percent after the French firm denied media reports of a planned takeover of Tyco International .
Traders said positive broker comments helped selected stocks technology firms push higher, with Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson up 5.3 and 0.6 percent respectively after Morgan Stanley raised its recommendation on both stocks based on strong demand in the U.S. market.
Later in the session, focus is likely to fall on U.S. retail sales for March at 1230 GMT, with investors expecting a 0.5 percent rise in sales compared to a 1 percent increase in February. (Editing by Louise Heavens)