Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares eked out gains for a fourth consecutive session as Zurich Financial cheered up insurers and helped the broader market defy another record high in crude oil prices.
The technology sector also extended its recovery, while mining stocks also fared well. But Telekom Austria sank 19.5 percent to 11.4 euros, on news that talks on a merger of the company with Swiss peer Swisscom had collapsed. Shares in Swisscom, which has long wooed its Alpine neighbour, ended flat at 409 Swiss francs as the group's chief executive Jens Alder said it was the end of the on-off saga between the two firms, with no other deals on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Belgian image technology firm Agfa Gevaert grabbed a spotlight, its shares rallying 13 percent to 21.6 euros on news it was disposing of its photographic film business as it responds to the digital camera boom.
The FTSE Eurotop 300 index ended unofficially up 0.1 percent at 952.99 points, but volume was an anemic 1.9 billion euros.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 3,722.99 points, down 3.51 or 0.09 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,544.42 points, up 2.94 or 0.08 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,351.9 points, up 26.7 or 0.50 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20,078 points, up 39 or 0.19 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks rose 0.29 percent, encouraged by a rally on Wall Street, but Qantas fell to its lowest level in a year as investors fretted about the airline's outlook. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index added 10.2 points to end at 3,486.3.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks powered to a fresh four-month peak, led by gold producers and steelmaker Iscor a day after it promised shareholders a payout of billions of rand.
The all-share index, which has gained 4.7 percent so far this year, added 193.91 or 1.81 percent to 10,881.24 points.
The All Gold index closed at 1,976.89 points, up 97.78 or 5.20 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 7,442.73 points, up 74.62 or 1.01 percent.