Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
Volvo's raised estimates for truck sales also drove market gains, while solid earnings at US blue chips Pfizer and General Motors, and a pledge by Microsoft to return more than $75 billion in cash to shareholders over the next 4 years further cheered investors.
The FTSE Eurotop-300 index of pan-European blue chips ended 0.98 percent higher at 978.2 points.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index put on 20.7 points to end at 3,524.0.
The All-share index ended up 2.2 percent or 219.84 points to 10,131.27, the Gold index closed up 4.06 percent or 59.79 points to 1532.73, while the Industrial index ended up 1.81 percent or 130.93 points to 7363.61.