Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares ended lower as a rise in British interest rates, unimpressive results from French bank BNP Paribas and a soft start on Wall Street weighed on sentiment.
On Wall Street, stocks fell as investors shied away amid worries about rising oil prices, a likely rise in US interest rates this summer and continuing violence in Iraq.
The FTSE Eurotop 300 index of pan-European blue chips closed down 1.38 percent at 994.49 points, erasing gains of the last three days, while the narrower DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index fell 2.04 percent to 2,765.74 points.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 3,909.46 points, down 112.64 or 2.80 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,655.14 points, down 74.24 or 1.99 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,832.4 points, down 58.8 or 1.00 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20,772 points, down 398 or 1.88 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks closed weaker after construction group Leighton Holdings dived on a profit warning and banking giant Westpac gave back recent gains on fears about a slowdown in mortgage lending.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index ended 0.24 percent or 8.2 points lower at 3,399.4.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South Africa's banks held up in the face of another rout in the resource sector, as falling gold and platinum prices conspired with a resilient rand to knock traditional currency hedge shares.
The All-share index closed at 10,413.5 points, down 161.27 or 1.53 percent.
The All Gold index closed at 1,897.25 points, down 50.39 or 2.59 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 7,404.95 points, down 98.1 or 1.31 percent.