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Closing stock market indices

LONDON: Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.

FRANKFURT - Germany's DAX share index gained 91.03 points or 1.2 percent to close at 7,698.97, with the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover spurring fresh interest in the earnings potential of hi-tech stocks such as Siemens AG.

PARIS - The Paris Bourse ended sharply higher, lifted by telecommunications sector. The CAC-40 ended up 67.94 or 1.14 percent to 6,031.25 points.

ZURICH - Swiss shares closed higher on the back of a continued recovery of blue chips such as Roche and Novartis. The blue-chip Swiss Market Index advanced 54.2 points or 0.77 percent to 7,091.7.

MILAN - Italian shares ended higher, lifted by strong performance of telecoms shares as well as a rally in heavily-weighted utility Enel. The all-share Mibtel closed 2.74 percent, or 870 points, higher at 32,647 points.

AMSTERDAM - Dutch shares stumbled in afternoon trade, but robust gains in some key stocks, notably chemicals concern DSM, helped lift the blue chip AEX index 0.81 percent higher.

The AEX added 5.24 points or 0.81 percent to 652.52 points.

SYDNEY - The Australian share market closed modestly higher as some blue chip stocks returned to favour.

The benchmark All Ordinaries Index finished up 11.3 points or about 0.4 percent at 3,112.5.

JOHANNESBURG - South African markets raised a glass to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel as he unveiled a budget including new inflation targets, tax cuts and relaxation of foreign exchange controls.

The All-Share index closed up 80.1 or 0.98 percent at 8,270, The All Gold index closed at 1286.5 dowm 1.2 or 0.09 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 9441.3 up 159.1 or 1.71 percent.-Reuters