Europe stock index futures point to higher start

LONDON Oct 8 (Reuters) - European stock index futures pointed to a sharp rise in equities on Thursday, with investors awaiting rate decisions from the Bank of England and the European Central Bank later in the session.

At 0602 GMT, futures for the Eurostoxx 50 STXEc1, Germany's DAX FDXc1 and the French CAC 40 FCEc1 were up between 1.4 percent and 1.5 percent.

The FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares closed 0.4 percent lower at 988.76 points on Wednesday. The index is up 19 percent this year and has surged 53 percent since hitting a record low in early March. (Reporting by Atul Prakash)