Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPEAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: European stocks were down 0.3 percent in early afternoon trading on Wednesday after most regional markets closed early for Christmas, with a slide in crude prices hitting energy shares as volumes dwindled. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index traded at 805.57 points in a truncated session ahead of the Christmas break, as investors' gloom over a shaky economic outlook overshadowed seasonal cheer.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,629.38 points, down 9.64 or 0.21 percent and a loss since last Friday of 67.32 points.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,116.21 points, down 12.2 or 0.39 percent and giving up 109.69 points over the week.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,399.58 points, down 19.94 or 0.37 percent and a loss of 60.28 points since last Friday.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 14,864 points, down 86 or 0.58 percent, dropping 342 points in the week.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks cheered in the Christmas holidays with a 1.44 percent gain, as hopes economic bad news had been more than priced in sent shares such as miner Rio Tinto Ltd higher. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 50.8 points to 3,582.2 in the thin trade of a shortened session, this amounted to a drop of 33.5 points since last week. The market closed two hours early ahead of Christmas holidays and will reopen on December 29.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks ended lower tracking weaker global equities as demand worries hit platinum and diversified miners, while the rand steadied against the dollar in quiet trade.
The All-share index closed at 20,998.49 points, down 246.36 or 1.16 percent and falling 289.21 points over the week. The All Gold index closed at 2,159.51 points, up 5.21 or 0.24 percent, adding 111.89 points since last weekend. The Industrial index closed at 16,701.19 points, down 134.24 or 0.80 percent but an addition of 56.46 points.