Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European stocks closed down more than half a percent, suffering their biggest fall since the July 7 attacks in London, as patchy company results and a fall on Wall Street dragged indexes from multi-year highs.
Stocks largely ignored interest rate decisions from the Bank of England, which cut rates to help a sluggish economy, and the European Central Bank, which did not.
Royal Bank of Scotland was the biggest drag, falling 4.4 percent on concerns about its China expansion plans. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of pan-European blue chips closed 0.7 percent weaker at 1,178.21 points.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4874.06 points, down 49.06 or 1.00 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4458.97 points, down 36.51 or 0.81 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 6617.25 points, down 40.87 or 0.61 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 25646 points, down 259 or 1.00 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian shares rose as Rio Tinto's forecast-busting profit the previous day continued to boost miners, but losses in Woodside Petroleum and Hardman Resources held the index back. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index added 5.6 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 4,374.8.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stronger bullion prices lifted South African gold stocks with Harmony Gold and Gold Fields the biggest climbers, while BHP Billiton and Sasol took a breather. The All-share index closed at 15470.33 points, up 39.53 or 0.26 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1681.65 points, up 58 or 3.57 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 11433.67 points, up 62.31 or 0.55 percent.