European shares rise on signs of Fed stimulus moves

LONDON Aug 23 (Reuters) - European shares rose on Thursday as fresh signs that the U.S. Federal Reserve may launch new stimulus measures more than offset persistent worries over the euro zone debt crisis.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.6 percent to 1,102.12 points, bouncing back from a 1.2 percent fall on Wednesday. The Euro STOXX 50 index was up by 0.9 percent at 2,474.84 points.

The minutes from the latest Fed meeting, released on Wednesday after European markets had closed, showed the U.S. central bank was likely to deliver another round of monetary stimulus 'fairly soon' unless the economy improved considerably.

"The market seems more interested in more prospects of stimulus from the Fed than worries over the euro crisis. In the short-term, the market could get back up to the highs which we've seen in the last few weeks," said Darren Easton, director of trading at London-based Logic Investments.