Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE: European stocks staged a late rally as a fall in oil prices eased concerns about its impact on corporate profits, while better-than-expected sales growth spurred a 4.6 percent rise in luxury goods giant Richemont. Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus was a bright spot after it issued a positive guidance and laid out big price rises while reporting its first profit in its five-year history. Its shares rose 6.1 percent to a fresh two-year high at 52.5 pence. European telecom equipment makers underperformed after a sales warning from troubled Canadian telecommunications equipment Nortel Networks hit sentiment. France's Alcatel fell 1.0 percent and Sweden's Ericsson was unchanged.
FRANKFURT: The DAX index ended at 3963.65 points, up 21.90 or 0.56 percent.
PARIS: The CAC-40 index closed at 3691.68 points, down 0.17 points.
ZURICH: The Swiss market index closed at 5525.7 points, down 10.9 or 0.20 percent.
MILAN: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20950 points, up 21 or 0.10 percent.
SYDNEY: Stocks dipped 0.01 percent to snap a run of five consecutive record closing highs after futures contracts expired and a weak lead from Wall Street. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index closed down 0.2 of a point to 3,624.9.
JOHANNESBURG: South African stocks stormed to a 2-1/4 year high as more rosy economic data lifted banking stocks, and luxury goods group Richemont posted strong sales figures. The All share index closed at 11412.55, up 192.88 points or 1.72 percent, the Gold index closed at 1982.87, up 9.85 points or 0.50 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 7959.99, up points 131.58 or 1.68 percent.