Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European stocks ended flat, pausing after the previous session's sharp rally as weak telecoms and mining shares offset rises in auto stocks which reported solid results. Telefonica fell 1.8 percent, hit by worries over the prospect of greater competition in Spain, while 300 index of top European shares closed unchanged, at 1,334.25 points. The index gained as much as 0.6 percent in afternoon trading following better-than-expected monthly US retail sales.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 6,973.67 points, up 5.83 or 0.08 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4,855.4 points, up 14.69 or 0.30 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 7,536.45 points, down 10.44 or 0.14 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 25,910 points, up 172 or 0.67 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks fell 1.18 percent, knocked down by the worst one-day percentage drop in nearly eight years for Commonwealth Bank after it reported a disappointing first-half profit. The S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 66 points to close at 5,542.1.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: The rand was almost unchanged against the dollar, after firming earlier on a slight recovery in global equities. The resource-heavy local stocks dipped on weaker metal prices and the impact of a stronger rand currency. The All-share index closed at 28,502.23 points, down 83.37 or 0.29 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,272.9 points, down 54.65 or 2.35 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 18,426.8 points, down 25.28 or 0.14 percent.