Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European stocks ended little changed despite brighter techs and sentiment buoyed by talk of mergers and take-overs among drug companies in France, as broker downgrades of media companies weighed.
Nokia climbed 3.6 percent after the world's top cellphone maker posted robust fourth-quarter profits and said it expects to outpace handset market growth of more than 20 percent in the first quarter.
Britain's Pearson slipped 4.0 percent after Goldman Sachs downgraded it to "under-perform" from "in-line" and Lehman Brothers cut it to "underweight" from "equal". Aegis and WPP gave up about 2.5 percent each.
But, France's top drug companies Aventis and Sanofi rallied 5.2 and 3.5 percent after a report in German daily Handelsblatt said they were close to sealing a merger. Aventis reiterated it was not in any merger talks.
Also on the Paris bourse, Danone was 2.6 percent higher after a report in French magazine Challenges said that consumer products firm Unilever was interested in making a take-over offer for the French food group.
These gains helped the Paris CAC end at 3,695.6 - the best level since mid-July 2002.
The FTSE Eurotop 300 index of pan-European blue chips closed barely changed at 993.87 points, and down from a 17-month high of 999.17. Amid good volumes, the number of losers to gainers was roughly equal.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4139.86 points, up 1.82 or 0.04 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3695.6 points, up 19.22 or 0.52 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5721.4 points, up 36.2 or 0.64 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20734 points, down 41 or 0.20 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: A rebound in National Australia Bank and gains in other major banks helped drive Australia's benchmark stock index to its highest close in 19 months.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 20.1 points or 0.6 percent to 3,326.6.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Gold and platinum mining stocks held their ground despite a rebound in the rand, supported by firm metal prices, although the wider market retreated from earlier highs.
The All-share index closed at 11001.63 points, up 89.64 or 0.82 percent.
The All Gold index closed at 2656.68 points, up 48.89 or 1.87 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 7227.05 points, up 31.56 or 0.44 percent.
HONG KONG STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Hong Kong stock market was closed on Thursday for the Chinese New Year Holiday.
On Wednesday the Hang Seng Index closed up 1.33 percent or 180.15 points to 13,750.58, hitting a fresh two-and-a-half year high.
SINGAPORE STOCKS EXCHANGE: Singapore's stock market remained closed on Thursday and Friday for the Lunar New Year holidays. Trading will resume on Monday, January 26.
The bellwether Straits Times index (STI) closed 1.29 percent, or 24.12 points up at a new 34-month high of 1,889.56 on Wednesday.
Dealers expect the market gauge to test the 1,900 resistance level next week on continued optimism concerning the Singapore economy and corporate profits.