Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Monday.
EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: Energy and mining stocks helped European shares end slightly higher, with Italian blue chips outpacing the rest of Europe after exit polls indicated a clear victory by centre-left opposition leader Romano Prodi in general elections.
Fresh merger talks lifted Italian banking stocks such as Capitalia amid wider speculation that a centre-left government would pave the way for more consolidation in the fragmented sector.
Take-over news also underpinned Britain's Compass, which gained 4 percent after agreeing to sell its travel concession business, but Switzerland's Serono plunged 8.4 percent after calling off a search for a buyer and launching a quest for acquisitions instead. The pan-European FTSEurofirst index of 300 leading shares ended 0.54 percent higher at 1,383.11 points.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 6003.4 points, up 50.48 or 0.85 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 5190.27 points, up 15.31 or 0.30 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 8109.31 points, up 4.12 or 0.05 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 29786 points, up 306 or 1.04 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: Shares lost 0.78 percent as globally-geared companies such as miner BHP Billiton and shopping mall owner Westfield fell on concerns that higher interest rates could crimp demand. The benchmark Australian S&P/ASX 200 Index shed 40.6 points to 5,192.3. The index fell 0.11 percent on Friday, but is still up about 9 percent this year after having set successive record peaks last week.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: Investors piled back into heavyweight South African mining stocks like Anglo American, pushing the bourse to a fresh peak, but iron ore producer Kumba tumbled on worries about prices.
The All-Share index gained 0.61 percent, or 125.89 points, to end at 20,725.80 points, a new closing high. The All Gold index closed at 2818.17 points, down 15.58 or 0.55 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 14352.26 points, down 14.25 or 0.10 percent.