European shares edge higher ahead of ECB meeting

* FTSEurofirst 300 down 0.2 percent

* Publicis (Paris: FR0000130577 - news) slumps after growth target cut

* Roche rises after outlook lifted

MILAN, Oct (HKSE: 3366-OL.HK - news) 22 (Reuters) - European shares edged higher on Thursday as investors awaited a European Central Bank policy meeting later in the day and after a positive earnings update from drugmaker Roche.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was up 0.1 percent after closing broadly flat in the previous session.

The ECB is likely to keep the door open for more monetary stimulus but stop short of taking new policy steps at a meeting on Thursday as it awaits fresh indications about the outlook for euro zone inflation.

Roche shares rose 1.5 percent after the world's biggest cancer drug company raised its full-year sales outlook.

Publicis fell 7 percent after the world's third-biggest advertising agency cut its annual organic growth target to 1 percent from 2.5 percent as quarterly sales slowed markedly hurt by weakness in the United States.

Carmaker Daimler was 1.3 percent lower after third-quarter operating profit jumped by almost a third as strong demand in Europe and China coupled with new product launches spurred luxury-car sales to a record.

Today's European research round-up (Reporting by Danilo Masoni; Editing by Lionel Laurent)