Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares ended at a week high after upbeat outlooks from technology bellwether Ericsson and drug-maker Roche soothed investors' worries that corporate profits are peaking.
Volvo's raised estimates for truck sales also drove market gains, while solid earnings at US blue chips Pfizer and General Motors, and a pledge by Microsoft to return more than $75 billion in cash to shareholders over the next 4 years further cheered investors.
The FTSE Eurotop-300 index of pan-European blue chips ended 0.98 percent higher at 978.2 points.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 3877.48 points, up 39.88 or 1.04 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3637.47 points, up 30.08 points or 0.83 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5561.7 points, up 63.5 or 1.15 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20728 points, up 73 or 0.35 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian stocks rose 0.59 percent, driven by a rebound in some of the major banks as investors sniffed out bargains and a rally in Origin Energy, sparked by a New Zealand acquisition.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index put on 20.7 points to end at 3,524.0.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South African stocks powered higher, with miners celebrating a weaker rand and soft drinks group ABI surging on a possible buyout offer.
The All-share index ended up 2.2 percent or 219.84 points to 10,131.27, the Gold index closed up 4.06 percent or 59.79 points to 1532.73, while the Industrial index ended up 1.81 percent or 130.93 points to 7363.61.