Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Thursday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European blue chips ended near fresh 16-month highs, boosted by techs and telecoms after Nokia raised its sales and profit forecast for the fourth quarter.
Strategists said news from telecoms and computer chip companies was helping ease some concerns investors still had about the strength of the global economy.
"Telecoms companies are giving out strong buy signals," said Achim Matzke, head of European Index Research at Commerzbank.
"There's a lot of liquidity A lot of money is flowing into the European equity market."
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4045.43 points, up 41.03 or 1.02 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3592.73 points, up 29.22 or 0.82 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5605.1 points, up 21.7 or 0.39 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20378 points, up 205 or 1.02 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Australian stock market closed a touch lower as rallying banks mostly offset weaker mining stocks, keeping the benchmark index near 3,300 and not far from 18-month highs.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index edged down 5.7 points or 0.17 percent to 3,297.9.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: The South African stock market closed flat as a weakening rand lent some support to heavyweight rand-hedges such as Sappi and Anglo American Plc.
The All-share index closed 0.06 percent or 5.9 points lower to 10,507.74, the Gold index ended down 0.54 percent or 13.84 points to 2537.88, while the Industrial index closed up 0.53 percent or 36.52 points to 6968.96.