The Swiss market index closed at 7,889.28 points, up 27.71 or 0.35 percent. MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 28,216 points, up 152 or 0.54 percent. TOKYO - The Nikkei dropped 2.34 percent to end below 16,000 for the first time since Jan. 26 as a strong yen hit technology exporters and a drop in oil prices sent Teikoku Oil lower. The Nikkei closed down 380.17 points at 15,877.66. HONG KONG - Stocks slid 0.74 percent to their lowest in more than five weeks after Hutchison Whampoa shelved plans to sell shares in its Italian 3G mobile unit. The blue-chip Hang Seng index closed at 15,312.09, losing 113.86 points on the day. SYDNEY - Shares fell to a three week closing low as a meltdown in metal prices pulled down the world's top two miners, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, while monoply wheat exporter AWB dived. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index shed 54.4 points, or 1.12 percent, to end at 4,817.1. JOHANNESBURG - Stocks plunged more than 2 percent as weaker metal prices pummelled miners and Harmony Gold tumbled on disappointing earnings. The All-share index closed at 18,970.15 points, down 424.93 or 2.19 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,921.86 points, down 124.44 or 4.08 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 13,636.29 points, down 249.96 or 1.80 percent.
