Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European stocks ended a seven-day losing streak as healthcare stocks benefited from a move out of economically sensitive media and technology stocks following a host of profit warnings from US tech companies.Relief that the Bank of England left interest rates on hold and some positive broker comments buoyed UK banks, with Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, the country's largest mortgage lender, both adding 1.6 percent.
Stronger-than-expected data on the US employment market provided some support but was countered by disappointing June retail sales, contributing to another lacklustre performance on Wall Street.
The FTSE Eurotop 300 index of pan-European blue chips closed 0.4 percent firmer at 985.4 points.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 3934.48 points, up 3.9 or 0.10 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3670.41 points, up 10.01 or 0.27 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5578.7 points, up 37.3 or 0.67 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20954 points, up 54 or 0.26 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian stocks eked out slim gains, maintaining their record breaking run with the help of some of the major banks and commodity stocks as sentiment remained positive ahead of the reporting season.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 3.7 points or 0.1 percent to a new high of 3,568.7.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South Africa's stock market fell to its lowest close in seven weeks as a robust rand hit exporting firms such as Anglo American and Sasol but the fall was cushioned by a firmer gold price.
The All-share index closed at 9942.76 points, down 94.98 or 0.95 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1643.64 points, down 5.39 or 0.33 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 7233.37 points, down 68 or 0.93 percent.