Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares closed flat, recovering the day's earlier losses as Wall Street turned positive and a strong crude price boosted oil producers such as Royal Dutch Shell and Total.
Equity markets spent most of the day in weaker territory, with the insurance sector tumbling as investors lowered their exposure to the sector following a placement of Munich Re shares in the previous session.
But gains in tech stocks such as mobile handset maker Nokia helped to limit losses after upbeat forecasts from key supplier Texas Instruments Inc, the world's biggest maker of chips used in mobile phones.
Nokia rose 1.7 percent. Software maker Getronics added 3.5 percent and Atos Origin climbed 1.6 percent after Societe Generale named it as one of its top picks for consolidation in Europe next year.
The retail sector was also firm, with Marks & Spencer up 3.7 percent on talk that it would delay its January sale as trading conditions remained buoyant.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index closed 0.1 percent higher at 1,266.6, having hit a 3-1/2 year intraday high of 1,273.53 on Wednesday before closing lower.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4,669.93 points, up 9.35 or 0.20 percent.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 5,286.75 points, up 20 or 0.38 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 7,560.02 points, down 28.79 or 0.38 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 26,522 points, up 44 or 0.17 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Shares fell one percent, as investors booked profits in banks like Commonwealth Bank and Westpac after the recent rally, to cash-up for near A$4 billion in share sales due in the next week. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index lost 45.9 points, or 0.99 percent, to end at 4,578.0, its lowest close since November 11.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Shares in South African banks weighed on the bourse, with Standard Bank the biggest loser on the back of a switch to gold stocks, driven by the metal's high price. The All-share index closed at 17,251.82 points, down 40.56 or 0.23 percent.
The All Gold index closed at 2,386.38 points, up 75.95 or 3.29 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 12,438.7 points, down 16.95 or 0.14 percent.