Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Monday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares closed 1.7 percent lower as banks, autos and oils headed south, mirroring losses on Wall Street and as volumes dwindled at the start of Christmas week. The FTSEurofirst index of top European shares closed at 809.78 points. The benchmark has shed nearly half its value so far this year, ravaged by a credit crisis that has driven several major economies into recession.
"Few could have predicted how traumatic 2008 would turn out to be, how much volatility there would be in the markets and how destructive the credit crisis would turn out to be," said Henk Potts, strategist at Barclays Stockbrokers in London.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,639.02 points, down 57.68 or 1.23 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,151.36 points, down 74.54 or 2.31 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,419.52 points, down 40.34 or 0.74 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 14,950 points, down 256 or 1.68 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian shares lost 1.6 percent as miner Rio Tinto fell after announcing a 10 percent cut in iron ore output, but power generator Babcock & Brown jumped on receiving take-over approaches. The S&P/ASX 200 index lost 58.3 points to end at 3,557.4.JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's stocks fell for a third consecutive day on Monday as Anglo American and financial shares weighed, while the rand held its gains against the dollar in thin trading conditions. The All-share index closed at 21,090.86 points, down 196.84 or 0.92 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,130.83 points, up 83.21 or 4.06 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 16,492.83 points, down 151.9 or 0.91 percent.