Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: European stock markets closed mixed in thin volumes due to the holiday season, but DaimlerChrysler rallied 1.3 percent as it sold its heavy diesel motor unit. Oil shares Total and BP ended lower due to easing oil prices, but pared some of their earlier losses.
"Oil stocks are still not discounting as strong a backdrop for the oil price as we anticipate, so we still think there is some value in terms of the oil price," said Paul Niven, head of strategy at F&C Asset Management.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 5,447.15 points, up 2.31 or 0.04 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4,756.93 points, down 12.45 or 0.26 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 7,559.13 points, up 10.33 or 0.14 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 26,874 points, up 16 or 0.06 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: Australian shares set their second successive record closing peak, as strong bullion prices lifted gold miners such as Newcrest Mining, while falling bond yields encouraged traders to chase banking stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index rose by 27.9 points, or 0.59 percent, to 4,755.6, beating the previous record closing high of 4,727.7 set on Friday.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: Banking stocks led the South African market off its all-time high following American markets' fall on Tuesday, but traded on low volumes. The All-share index closed at 18,078.03 points, down 234.11 or 1.28 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,460.25 points, down 30.53 or 1.23 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 12,929.17 points, down 154.41 or 1.18 percent.