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Closing stock market indices

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

FRANKFURT: Germany's DAX share index closed slighty higher, buoyed by a near eight-percent gain in Metro AG on speculation of a takeover by U.S. giant retail group Wal-Mart.

The DAX index ended at 5947.75 points, down 2.3 or 0.04 percent.

PARIS: The CAC-40 bounced back from two days of losses to end up one percent, shrugging off a wider-than-expected U.S. trade balance and residual interest rate jitters as media and technology stocks advanced.

The CAC-40 index closed at 5234.86 points, down 11.47 or 0.22 percent.

ZURICH: The blue-chip Swiss Market Index ended more than one percent lower as the market failed to shake off fears of rising interest rates that put share prices under pressure early in the session.

The Swiss market index closed at 7374 points, down 28.6 or 0.39 percent.

MILAN: The Milan stocks ended firmer, little changed from midday levels having pared some early gains. Telecoms mixed with Olivetti stronger in huge volume but Telecom Italia off in switching out amid profit-taking, dealers said.

The All Share Mibtel index closed at 24119 points, down 2 or 0.01 percent.

AMSTERDAM: Dutch shares ended firmer, buoyed by strong gains in semiconductor equipment maker ASM Lithography.

The AEX index closed at 607.18 points, down 0.45 or 0.07 percent.

SYDNEY: The share market rallied one percent as bullish commodity prices prompted investors to snap up resources issues. The benchmark All Ordinaries Index closed up 31.7 points at 3,137.1, with the resources sector racing up about 2.4 percent.

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's key All-Share index finished flat as the market caught its breath after its recent surge into record territory.

The All-share index closed at 7524.6 points, up 48.8 or 0.65 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1157.9 points, up 2.8 or 0.24 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 8009.9 points, up 110.4 or 1.40 percent.