Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: Pleasing updates from Nokia and AstraZeneca lifted European shares to fresh 2-1/2 year highs, with economic reports in the United States and Germany also helping to bolster sentiment. Forecast-topping profits at German engineering conglomerate Siemens and Philips Electronics also buoyed investors, but uncertainty ahead of fourth-quarter US gross domestic product data on Friday and oil prices again nearing $50 a barrel slightly capped market gains.
On the corporate activity front, things heated up in the battle for control of the London Stock Exchange as Deutsche Boerse unveiled details of its proposed take-over of the London bourse.
The announcement prompted continental rival Euronext to make a rare statement, saying its discussions with the LSE were continuing and that it would make a submission to the Office of Fair Trading soon over a possible offer. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of pan-European blue chips ended 0.4 percent higher at 1,059.5 points, its highest closing level since July 8, 2002.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,216.41 points, up 2.29 or 0.05 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,891.4 points, up 11.58 or 0.30 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,773.7 points, up 5.3 or 0.09 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 23,913 points, down 71 or 0.30 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: Stocks closed up 1.23 percent after touching a new high, buoyed by a rally in financial stocks and a solid production report from miner BHP Billiton. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index ended up 49.8 points at 4,105.7.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: Buoyant banking stocks led by Standard Bank lifted the South African market on hopes of a rate cut after better than expected inflation numbers, although gold miners tumbled. The All-share index closed at 12,710.04 points, up 102.62 or 0.81 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1,499.09 points, down 34.69 or 2.26 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 9,558.04 points, up 111.34 or 1.18 percent.