European shares turn positive

LONDON (Reuters) - European shares turned positive on Thursday after U.S. data showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 512,000 in the week to October 31, the lowest since early January.

At 1:43 p.m., the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.1 percent at 985.90 points after falling to a low of 969.74 points earlier in the session.

Retailers were among the top gainers, with Ahold (Amsterdam: AH.AS - news) , Tesco (LSE: TSCO.L - news) and J Sainsbury up 1 to 4.7 percent.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash)