Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares closed higher as merger and acquisition talk surrounding insurers and banks helped markets pare losses struck in the past two sessions, while Germany's key DAX index hit a record close.
Allianz rose for the fifth day in a row, with the day's 2 percent gains stoked by a report in a German stock market newsletter that Deutsche Bank was in talks to buy the retail operations of the insurer's Dresdner Bank unit. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index closed 0.4 percent stronger at 1,620.2, paring a 0.7 percent fall seen in the past two days.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 8,090.49 points, up 56.97 or 0.71 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 6,093.29 points, up 21.62 or 0.36 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 9,347.28 points, up 13.88 or 0.15 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 33,419 points, down 42 or 0.13 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Shares rose 0.39 percent to set their 33rd record closing high this year, led by gains in property firms as worries of higher global interest rates faded following a fall in US bond yields. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 24.9 points to 6,396.9, surpassing its previous all-time closing high of 6,392.9 set on June 4.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Diversified mining groups Anglo American and BHP Billiton lifted South Africa's bourse on stronger commodity prices, while Impala Platinum rose after increasing its capital expenditure. The All-share index closed at 29,510.35 points, up 267.16 or 0.91 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,622.14 points, up 40.27 or 1.56 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19,980.07 points, up 173.35 or 0.88 percent.