European shares pare early losses as banks rise

PARIS: European stocks reversed early losses and turned slightly positive on Monday, reviving a three-session rally as investors shrugged off grim Italian GDP data and the triggering of Greek credit default swaps to chase euro zone banking stocks higher.

At 0926 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.2 percent at 1,081.39 points after losing as much as 0.3 percent in early trade.

The STOXX euro zone bank index was up 0.8 percent, with Banco Popolare up 3 percent and Deutsche Bank up 2.3 percent.