Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Friday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares closed slightly higher with the market's focus on a possible merger between Italy's Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo, which fuelled talk of more sector consolidation.
Take-over speculation also lifted Anglo-Dutch steel firm Corus, and some analysts saw M&A activity underpinning equities while others said a US-led economic slowdown would hurt stocks by denting corporate profits.
Higher oil prices limited market gains as a storm brewed in the Caribbean with the potential to reach the Gulf of Mexico next week - raising worries over US production already trimmed by an outage in Alaska.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares finished at 1,359.21 points, up 0.09 percent on the day and 0.01 percent for the week.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 5,811.47 points, down 2.61 or 0.04 percent on the day and over the week a slight fall of 5.55 points.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 5,111.13 points, down 1.72 or 0.03 percent and falling 24.56 points on the week.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 8,102.5 points, up 3.53 or 0.04 percent and ahead by 18.32 points since last Friday.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 28,817 points, up 52 or 0.18 percent, adding 190 points during the week.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Shares added 0.72 percent as take-over target Coles Myer set a new peak, but Insurance Australia Group lost after a bigger-than-expected fall in annual profit.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 35.8 points to close at 5,023.6, falling 28.9 points or 0.6 percent on the week. It had scaled a six-week closing peak on Wednesday.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks pushed higher after a volatile day as petrochemicals firm Sasol jumped on firmer oil prices. The All-share index closed at 21,767.62 points, up 102.96 or 0.48 percent, and gained 488.3 points in the week.
The All Gold index closed at 3,012.62 points, down 31.97 or 1.05 percent, adding 180.13 points since last weekend. The Industrial index closed at 14,231.66 points, up 80.79 or 0.57 percent and rising 197.97 points since last Friday.