EasyJet leads European shares higher, focus on ECB

European shares rose sharply on Thursday, tracking strong gains on Wall Street and ahead of a European Central Bank meeting that investors expect will deliver a boost to markets following recent turmoil. The market was led higher by British low-cost airline easyJet, which jumped 6.4 percent after raising its full-year profit outlook. At 0805 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 1.5 percent at 1,416.95 points after volatile trading in the past weeks.