European shares rise for fourth day

London - A key European equity index rose for a fourth straight session on Thursday as investors continued to bet on further monetary stimulus in the eurozone, although gains were capped by fresh falls in energy shares.

British holiday company Thomas Cook was a standout underperformer, slumping 19% after it said its chief executive Harriet Green was stepping down, two years after leading a turnaround of the group.

At 08:15, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was up 0.2% at 1 392.17 points, eyeing its fourth straight session of gains.

The index has been rising every day since European Central Bank president Mario Draghi opened the door to more aggressive asset purchases and China cut interest rates on Friday, boosting the attractiveness of assets which depend on economic growth and offer higher yields than government bonds, such as stocks.

Among single stocks, Germany's Deutsche Bank rose 1.5% higher after Fitch affirmed the lender's rating with "A+", albeit with a negative outlook.

Heavyweight Oil & gas companies weighed, however, after Brent crude hit a low of $78 ahead of talks by producer group Opec.