Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares ended little changed as a bid approach for Scottish Power sparked a rally among utilities, helping offset weak drugmakers and miners and uncertainty over the outcome of US elections. Scottish Power surged 8.7 percent after Britain's fifth-biggest energy supplier confirmed having received an approach.
This lifted Scottish and Southern Energy and British Energy by nearly 5 percent, and possible suitors for Scottish Power such as EDF fell 0.3 percent. This, and heavily weighted energy stocks rising in step with oil prices, helped the market erase most of an earlier dip. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended 0.06 percent lower at 1,469.97 points, less than 2 points away from Tuesday's fresh five-and-a-half-year high.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 6349.26 points, down 12.7 or 0.20 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 5437.16 points, down 0.62 or 0.01 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 8776.72 points, down 58.91 or 0.67 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 31057 points, up 65 or 0.21 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian shares dropped 0.6 percent, cooling after three straight days of record peaks, as retailer David Jones fell on concerns the central bank may want to raise interest rates again following Wednesday's quarter-point hike. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index lost 32.4 points to close at 5,459.2.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South African stocks slipped as softer precious metal prices hit platinum and gold miners but cement producer PPC rose after posting upbeat annual earnings. The All-share index fell 0.29 percent to 23,952.68 points. The All Gold index closed at 2922.09 points, up 2.49 or 0.09 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 16055.61 points, down 0.93 or 0.01 percent.