European shares advance on GDP data, Fed statement

* FTSEurofirst 300 gains 0.7 pct; up 47 pct since March low

* French, German GDP data, Fed statement support markets

* Banks among top gainers; miners track higher metal prices

* For up-to-the-minute market news, click on [STXNEWS/EU]

By Atul Prakash

LONDON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - European shares rose on Thursday, with sentiment improving after the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy was showing signs of levelling out and data showed France and Germany returned to economic growth.

At 0830 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares was up 0.7 percent at 948.74 points. The index, which slumped 45 percent in 2008, has gained 14 percent this year and is up 47 percent since a lifetime low in March.

Financial shares were among top gainers in Europe, with Standard Chartered (STAN.L), Barclays (BARC.L), Lloyds (LLOY.L), Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L), BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) and Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) gaining 1-3.9 percent.

"Overall market sentiment is pretty positive," said Koen De Leus, economist at KBC Securities. "What is very surprising today is that the German economy is growing and that's a big help for the market, but the most important thing today is going to be the retail sales figures in the United States."

U.S. retail sales data for July, due at 1230 GMT, were forecast up 0.7 percent rise after a 0.6 percent rise in June.

The markets cheered after news that France and Germany enjoyed a surprising return to economic growth in the second quarter, ending their recessions earlier than many policymakers and economists had expected. [ID:nLD331672]

That followed Wednesday's statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve saying it saw the recession nearing an end and that shattered financial markets were healing. The U.S. central bank also kept its benchmark short-term interest rate steady near zero. [ID:nN1272730]

Miners enjoyed a good day, with copper prices MCU3 rising 1.9 percent, aluminium MAL3 up 1.8 percent and nickel MNI3 jumping 4.4 percent.

BHP Billiton (BLT.L), Anglo American (AAL.L), Antofagasta (ANTO.L), Rio Tinto (RIO.L), Xstrata (XTA.L) and Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC.L) rose 3.1-4.3 percent.

Across Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 index .FTSE, Germany's DAX .GDAXI and France's CAC 40 .FCHI rose 0.6-0.8 percent.