European shares rise in early trade after strong Chinese data

PARIS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - European stocks rose in early trade on Monday, adding to the previous session's gains as robust exports data from China boosted investor sentiment.

Data over the weekend showed China's exports beat forecasts in November with a 12.7 percent rise, adding to signs of stabilisation in the world's second-biggest economy and sparking a rally in Asian shares.

At 0803 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.3 percent at 1,273.60 points, while the euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index added 0.4 percent at 2,990.83 points.

Shares in European banks featured among the biggest gainers, with Banco Popolare (Frankfurt: B8Z.F - news) up 1.2 percent and Bankinter (Frankfurt: A0MW33 - news) up 1.1 percent.

European stocks rose on Friday after U.S. jobs data that was seen as solid enough to back an economic recovery but not so robust as to prompt an immediate scaling back of Federal Reserve stimulus.