Closing stock market indices

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday.
EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European blue chips rallied to within touching distance of 16-month highs, boosted by steel makers on expectations of strong demand this year, while auto makers lent support as the dollar bounced.
But energy stocks slipped on worries about a possible US enquiry into overbooking of reserves by Shell.
The FTSE Eurotop 300 index of pan-European blue chips closed up 0.89 percent at 979.39 points, just off the 16-month high of 982.05 set last week. Amid good volumes, winners outnumbered losers around four to one.
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,055.21 points, up 58.99 or 1.48 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,612.55 points, up 36.37 or 1.02 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,624.3 points, up 65.2 or 1.17 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 20,463 points, up 154 or 0.76 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian stocks shrugged off a negative offshore lead as better-than-expected iron ore price rises lifted mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, steering the entire market higher.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 stock index ended 15.6 points, or 0.47 percent, up at 3,310.9.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: Platinum stocks were among the top gainers in a robust South African stock market at the close of trade with Impala Platinum jumping nearly five percent, thanks to a softer rand.
The All-share index closed at 10943.4 points, up 70.18 or 0.65 percent.
The All Gold index closed at 2673.24 points, down 72.02 or 2.62 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 7178.34 points, up 26.25 or 0.37 percent.