Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares closed down 0.72 percent, pressured by concern that financials may have to reveal more credit crunch-inflicted damage to their earnings. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended down 9.47 at 1,308.92 points, with banks and pharmaceuticals dragging on the benchmark. ING fell 2.9 percent, BNP Paribas fell 2.3 percent and Credit Suisse lost 3.4 percent.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 6721.36 points, down 50.62 or 0.75 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4874.97 points, down 37.72 or 0.77 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 7403.08 points, down 165.06 or 2.18 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 25529 points, down 28 or 0.11 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Shares fell 0.92 percent, dragged down by financial firms on a bleak outlook for bank profits, though BHP Billiton rose on talk that China may buy an over 9 percent stake in the world's top miner. The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 51.3 points to 5,520.2, adding to a 0.95 percent decline in the previous session.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South African blue chip stocks rallied nearly two percent to a record high close, led by heavyweights Anglo and BHP Billiton, but the rand and bonds slipped ahead of Thursday's rates decision. The JSE's Top-40 index closed 1.95 percent up at a new all-time high of 29,193.15 points, while the All-share Index bounced 1.75 percent to 31,360.12. The All Gold index closed at 2462.96 points, up 40.67 or 1.68 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 20071.96 points, down 36.17 or 0.18 percent.