Europe shares turn positive after U.S. data

European shares turned positive on Tuesday afternoon after U.S. consumer sentiment readings came in stronger than expected.

At 1412 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.4 percent at 860.74 points, having been as low as 842.26 earlier.

U.S. consumer confidence soared in May to its highest level in eight months as severe strains in the labour market showed some signs of easing, though Americans' mood remained depressed by historical standards.

The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes jumped to 54.9 in May from a revised 40.8 in April, the biggest one-month jump since April 2003. The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were up between 1.6 and 2.2 percent.