Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: European shares ended little changed after retreating from 29-month highs as the euro peaked anew against the dollar and oil stocks fell due to lingering weakness in crude prices.
Light share dealing due to year-end holidays also made it difficult to sustain any trend. "Everybody is squaring up for the end of the year," said Mark Tinker of brokerage Execution. "Anybody that extrapolates trends from the past two or three week period is likely to get caught out badly as we won't see a clear picture emerging until next week," Tinker said. The FTSEurofirst index of pan-European blue chips ended down 0.06 percent or 0.63 point at 1,041.53 points after hitting its highest level since early July 2002.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended 4,247.75 points, down 14.04 or 0.33 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,827.16 points, up 2.33 or 0.06 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,692.4 points, up 5.9 or 0.10 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 23,518 points, down 8 or 0.03 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: The share market closed down 0.16 percent as insurance stocks including QBE fell, while the death toll from Asia's devastating tsunami continued to rise. The Australian benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index slipped 6.5 points to 4,042.1.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: The world's number one platinum producer Anglo American Platinum and appetite for industrial shares lifted South African stocks higher, but volumes were muted by the holiday hangover. The All-share index closed at 12,611.08 points, up 17.7 or 0.14 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1,588 points, down 11.48 or 0.72 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 9,713.42 points, down 7.59 or 0.08 percent.