Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Friday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: German engineering group Siemens and bancassurer Fortis led European shares lower, with jitters over Iraq's elections and the impact of a slide in crude on oil stocks also weighing.
Shares in Siemens fell 3.5 percent, initially hit by a downgrade on the stock to "sell" from Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg, which cited uncertainty over its loss-making mobile phone unit.
The losses accelerated late in the session with dealers blaming a lack of strong positive news from a conference call. Paper stocks such as Norske Skogsin, Stora Enso, and UPM-Kymmene skidded on concerns about their upcoming results, dealers said.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index ended down 0.5 percent at 1,054.44 points after hitting a new 2-1/2-year high earlier in the session after news of a bumper $57 billion merger in the US consumer goods sector, with Procter & Gamble Co to acquire Gillette Co.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,201.81 points, down 14.6 or 0.35 percent, 11.89 points lower on the week.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,870.35 points, down 21.05 or 0.54 percent, up 16.16 points since last Friday.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,750.7 points, down 23 or 0.40 percent, up 12.6 from a week ago.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 23,828 points, down 85 or 0.36 percent, falling 188 points over the week.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: The share market fell 0.17 percent, easing off a record high hit early in the day, as the big banks ended mixed and major miners retreated. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index slipped 6.8 points to close at 4,098.9, up 55 points on the week.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks shed ground as investors pocketed profits on heavyweight BHP Billiton and mid-cap construction firm Murray & Roberts slid on the liquidation of its engineering unit. The All-share index closed at 12,699.81 points, down 10.23 or 0.08 percent, gaining 201.97 since last Friday. The All Gold index closed at 1,518.01 points, up 18.92 or 1.26 percent, a drop of 83.54 points from seven days ago.
The Industrial index closed at 9,591.63 points, up 33.59 or 0.35 percent. The index gained 271.67 points over the week.