Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Tuesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: Heavily-weighted banks such as BNP Paribas helped European shares close higher, with optimism that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged for now also lending support.
Other standout movers included Spanish airline Iberia, up 7.5 percent on market rumours that a merger with British Airways had been agreed, despite strong denials by both companies.
BA shares closed four percent higher. Celltech surged 7.5 percent after Britain's leading biotech group said it expected to sign a lucrative marketing deal for its biggest new drug hope during the second quarter of 2004.
Spanish telecoms group Telefonica added 2.1 percent after a rating upgrade to "outperform" from "neutral" by Credit Suisse First Boston, but French chemicals group Rhodia was a sore spot, off 6.6 percent on nagging concern over its financing troubles.
The FTSE Eurotop 300 index ended the session 0.6 percent firmer at 975.8 points.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 3822.37 points, up 11.61 or 0.30 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3588.04 points, up 14.2 or 0.40 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5646.2 points, up 25.9 or 0.46 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20119 points, up 67 or 0.33 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian stocks flipped into positive territory in late trading to finish with modest gains, shrugging off a negative lead from Wall Street on mounting security fears.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 3.1 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 3,414.6.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South Africa's stock market closed in the black as investors returned for choice pickings such as the country's largest clothing retailer Edgars Consolidated Stores.
The All-share index closed at 10736.04 points, up 79 or 0.74 percent.
The All Gold index closed at 2164.96 points, down 27.22 or 1.24 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 7261.29 points, up 55.17 or 0.77 percent.