Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: European shares closed up 0.7 percent after volatile trade as banks pushed higher, but the market pared earlier gains as oil majors tracked crude prices lower and a rally on Wall Street lost steam. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose for a third straight day to end higher at 903.61 points, way off the day's high of 922.56.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,869.3 points, up 60.61 or 1.26 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed 3,407.82 points, up 5.25 or 0.15 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,842.34 points, down 38.23 or 0.65 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 16,090 points, up 216 or 1.36 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: Shares rose 4.04 percent, extending their rally to a second day, as mining and energy companies gained on the back of a rebound in oil and base metals prices. The S&P/ASX 200 closed up 155.5 points at 4,001.1, extending a 1.3 percent gain on Wednesday. Prior to that the index had fallen for five sessions in a row, losing 12 percent on global recession fears.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: Stocks leapt more than 5 percent after a US Federal Reserve interest rate cut boosted global equities and domestic inflation data backed the case for lower borrowing costs at home. The All-share index closed at 20,861.52 points, up 1,066.78 or 5.39 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1,679.56 points, up 138.25 or 8.97 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 16,836.52 points, up 642.96 or 3.97 percent.