Closing stock market indices

Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 3695.49 points, down 195.45 or 5.02 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 2569.63 points, down 106.05 or 3.96 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 4390.18 points, down 73.49 or 1.65 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 11172 points, down 636 or 5.39 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian shares rose 0.7 percent, with Rio Tinto and other miners leading gains, as hope remained that increased spending in China could help support the global economy. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 22.1 points to close at 3,188.5, after having been as high as 3,218.3.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South Africas rand weakened sharply and local stocks dipped as global markets continued to feel the strain of a financial crisis as General Motors warned of possible bankruptcy. The All-share index closed at 18418.95 points, down 55.21 or 0.30 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2625.43 points, down 52.49 or 1.96 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 13949.87 points, down 48.41 or 0.35 percent.