European shares at highest level since 2000 as euro slips again

* FTSEurofirst 300 up 0.6 pct, hits highest since 2000

* Renewed drop in euro revives earnings recovery hopes

* Hays (LSE: HAS.L - news) falls, blames UK general election for net fee slowdown

By Francesco Canepa and Blaise Robinson

LONDON/PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - European shares powered ahead to their highest level since 2000 on Friday as the euro weakened to its lowest since mid-March.

At 1048 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.6 percent at 1,639.57 points, surpassing its 2007 peak and taking its gains so far this year to 20 percent.

Germany's DAX index, which includes dividends unlike most other benchmarks, was up 1.2 percent, hitting a fresh record high, while France's CAC 40 was up 0.5 percent to its highest level since 2008. Britain's FTSE 100 index rose 0.4 percent, hovering below a record high hit in March.

Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) in France's Carrefour (LSE: 0NPH.L - news) featured among the top gainers, rising 1.9 percent after the world's second biggest retailer reported better-than-expected quarterly sales, driven by growth in Latin America and an improvement at its domestic hypermarkets.

The euro's fall over the past year is seen supporting a recovery in the region's growth and in corporate profits. The single currency, which fell to 1.0594 against the dollar on Friday, has slipped more than 3 percent this week.

European stocks have risen sharply this year as global investors increased their exposure to the region on expectations the euro's slide would give companies a major lift, as roughly 50 percent of euro zone earnings come from outside the region.

Strategists have said a drop of 10 percent in the euro versus a basket of currencies translates into a 6 to 8 percent rise in European profits. With the euro down about 16 percent against the other currencies over the past year, profits are poised to get a 10-13 percent boost.

This contrasts with a recent deterioration in U.S. earnings' forecasts, driven lower in part by the stronger dollar. First (Other OTC: FSTC - news) -quarter S&P 500 earnings are projected to have declined by 2.8 percent from a year ago, which would make the quarter the worst for results since the third quarter of 2009.

"The focus is back on the forex market. It's mostly the dollar rising, and while it's very good news for European earnings, the negative impact on U.S. results could be quite significant," said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Ava Trade in Dublin.

Bucking the market, British recruiting firm Hays fell 1.2 percent in heavy volume after posting slower UK net fee growth, which it blamed on companies holding back on hiring decisions ahead of next month's election.

Europe bourses in 2015: http://link.reuters.com/pap87v

Asset performance in 2015: http://link.reuters.com/gap87v

Today's European research round-up

(Editing by Jon Boyle and Susan Fenton)