European shares rise early

European shares rose early on Thursday, with Scottish-based banks Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland rallying after a poll showed a majority of Scots intend to vote against independence in next week's referendum. At 0702 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.4 per cent at 1,391.38 points, bouncing from a recent slide. A survey showed late on Wednesday that 53 per cent of Scots intend to vote against splitting away from the UK. The poll, carried out by Survation on behalf of the Daily Record newspaper, showed 47 per cent intending to vote yes to the split. The figures excluded 10 per cent of people who were undecided. Scotland-based Lloyds gained 1.3 per cent while RBS rose 2.1 per cent, according to Reuters.