Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Tuesday.
Degussa rallied 13 percent to a six-year-high at 43.75 euros after German mining group RAG agreed to buy E.ON's 43-percent stake in the German specialty chemicals group for around 2.8 billion euros ($3.4 billion). The pan-European FTSEurofirst index of 300 blue chips ended 0.3 percent stronger at 1,270.96 points, its strongest close since April 2002.