Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Tuesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares rallied as investors embraced defensive stocks such as pharmaceuticals and utilities, while energy shares fell as concern grew over the outlook for US demand.
Pharma stocks topped the list of gainers in Europe for a second day running, as Swiss rivals Roche and Novartis rose by 5.9 and 3.6 percent each. Data that showed a worse-than-expected fall in sales of US homes helped fuel existing expectations for further aggressive cuts in US rates, driving the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares up by as much as 1.4 percent.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 7,849.99 points, up 32.82 or 0.42 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 5,495.67 points, up 42.84 or 0.79 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 8,316.39 points, up 205.82 or 2.54 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 28,453 points, down 14 or 0.05 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Shares eased 0.54 percent, falling for the second day in a row, weighed down by investor nerves about a US economic slowdown and weakness in the big mining stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 33.5 points to close at 6,128.1, adding to Monday's 2.3 percent fall.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: A record gold price powered South African stocks higher and also helped the rand shake off the emerging market blues. The All-share index closed at 28,937.43 points, up 297.01 or 1.04 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,667.37 points, up 120.43 or 4.73 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 20,418.72 points, up 161.97 or 0.80 percent.