Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares ended Wednesday's session on a positive note, boosted by mining and oil stocks, while merger activity continued to bubble away in the broader market. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index ended up 0.4 percent at 1,580.52 points.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 7680.76 points, up 2.5 or 0.03 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 5934.27 points, up 36.11 or 0.61 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 9146.07 points, down 34.9 or 0.38 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 32756 points, up 110 or 0.34 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian shares slipped 0.95 percent to a six-week closing low, as growing concerns that global interest rates would rise weighed on financial stocks, while mining firms fell on a slide in base metal prices. The S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 59.4 points to close at 6,180.7.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South African stocks rebounded, led by mining shares like African Rainbow Minerals as yields on global bonds pulled back. The All-share index closed at 28602.95 points, up 303.62 or 1.07 percent.
The All Gold index closed at 2582.64 points, up 25.68 or 1.00 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19399.14 points, up 129.34 or 0.67 percent.