STOCKS NEWS EUROPE-Shares higher as Wall St cuts losses

European shares stay higher in afternoon trade, with sentiment improving after a 36 percent jump in JPMorgan's (JPM.N) profits and data showing the number of U.S. workers filing claims for new jobless benefits fell sharply last week.

The FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 is up 0.5 percent at 867.23 points, while U.S. benchmark indexes .DJI, .SPX and .IXIC cut early losses.

Banks are among the top gainers, with Standard Chartered (STAN.L), HSBC (HSBA.L), Barclays (BARC.L), Lloyds (LLOY.L), BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) and Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) rising 0.8-4.2 percent.

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