Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
This lifted Scottish and Southern Energy and British Energy by nearly 5 percent, and possible suitors for Scottish Power such as EDF fell 0.3 percent. This, and heavily weighted energy stocks rising in step with oil prices, helped the market erase most of an earlier dip. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended 0.06 percent lower at 1,469.97 points, less than 2 points away from Tuesday's fresh five-and-a-half-year high.