Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: Miners pulled European shares back up towards three-year highs thanks to copper futures hitting an all-time high. Australian shares touching record highs also helped diversified miners with BHP Billiton gaining 4.2 percent, Rio Tinto 3.9 percent and Anglo American 2.6 percent.
The DJ Stoxx basic resources index surged 3.1 percent to be Europe's lead sector as the copper price combined with Dutch bank ABN Amro citing good prospects for miners due to booming demand for bulk commodities from Asia.
ABN also raised its rating on BHP to "buy" from "add," with a price target of 845 pence. "Six or seven months ago people were writing off commodity stocks saying Chinese growth was slowing but it was nonsense and was just an unwinding," Daniel Birch, strategist at Execution said. "Commodities have come out the other side and apart from Europe there is still demand in China, other parts of Asia and the US It is still a good play, I would still be buying them." The FTSEurofirst 300 index closed 0.5 percent higher at 1,137.97 points. The index hit an intraday 3-year high of 1,139.67 on Wednesday.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,579.87 points, up 31.45 or 0.69 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4,185.15 points, up 0.79 or 0.02 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 6,257.77 points, up 0.63 or 0.01 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 24,945 points, up 120 or 0.48 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: Shares hit a record intra-day high before easing in afternoon trade to close up 0.38 percent, boosted by firmer miners and oil stocks, as well as support for the building materials sector. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 16.2 points to 4,262.8, off a record intraday high of 4,284.7 and just below the March record close of 4,266.4.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: The South African markets were closed today for the Youth Day National Holiday. On Wednesday the All-share index closed at 14,210.74 points, down 13.54 or 0.10 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1,691.55 points, down 28.53 or 1.66 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 10,320.97 points, down 23.55 or 0.23 percent.