Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares ended higher, helped by Anglo American's plans to return up to $1 billion to shareholders and by rising energy stocks on firmer oil prices, but weak utilities capped market gains.
Utilities led sectoral losers, with Scottish power off 1.6 percent on talk that the $9.4 billion sale of its PacifiCorp unit might be delayed by US state regulators.
Other sector names such as Suez fell foul of new interest rate worries due to fears that new Federal Reserve Chairman-designate Ben Bernanke might be softer on fighting inflation than Alan Greenspan, which pushed US long-bond yields to fresh six-month highs.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,900.79 points, up 27.82 or 0.57 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4,412.7 points, up 15.71 or 0.36 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 6,972.35 points, up 32.63 or 0.47 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 25,137 points, up 68 or 0.27 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian shares rose, helped by miners and the interest-rate sensitive bank sector, after the latest inflation data eased concerns over monetary policy. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 52.6 points, or 1.2 percent, to end at 4,443.4.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Anglo American led South African stocks higher after a cash return pledge to investors, and benign inflation numbers spurred investors into the market, easing interest rate hike jitters.
The All-share index closed at 16,442.68 points, up 342.42 or 2.13 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,148.32 points, up 17.82 or 0.84 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 11,927.67 points, up 218.08 or 1.86 percent.