Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Wednesday according to Reuters. LONDON - UK stocks closed above 6,000 points for the first time since March 2001, with property shares surging after the government outlined new property investment trusts in its annual budget and as bid talk boosted ITV. The FTSE 100 closed at 6,007.5 points, up 16.2 or 0.27 percent. EUROPE - European shares rose for the 10th straight session, fuelled by a surge in French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis and a rebound in car stocks on upbeat earnings forecasts. Sanofi-Aventis shares shot up 8.4 percent after the company, together with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, settled a dispute with generic drugmaker Apotex Inc. that could keep patent protection on their multibillion-dollar blood thinner Plavix until 2011. "The news on Sanofi is the big driver," said Simon Jeffries, head of sales trading at ING Barings. FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,932.31 points, up 20.45 or 0.35 percent. PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 5,194.78 points, up 46.22 or 0.90 percent. ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 8,064.02 points, up 7.38 or 0.09 percent. MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 29,696 points, down 18 or 0.06 percent. TOKYO - The Nikkei average fell 0.78 percent as investors took profits in Softbank and other recent gainers, while a delay in a new Microsoft operating system hit some technology stocks. The Nikkei lost 129.32 points to end at 16,495.48. HONG KONG - Hong Kong stocks fell in its biggest one-day percentage loss in more than five months, as sliding overseas markets triggered a sharp sell-off amid concern that U.S. interest rates could head higher. The benchmark Hang Seng index dropped 1.76 percent, or 279.94 points, to end at 15,642.81. SYDNEY - Australian shares rose to a new closing peak, recovering from early losses, as the nation's top bank by assets, National Australia, climbed on hopes of a share buyback. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 22.1 points, or 0.44 percent, to close at 5,013.4. JOHANNESBURG - South African stocks crept lower, weighed down by other weak emerging markets, but life insurance and construction stocks like Murray & Roberts bucked the trend. The All-share index closed at 19,991.48 points, down 146.99 or 0.73 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,660.27 points, down 29.41 or 1.09 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 14,275.46 points, down 133.11 or 0.92 percent.
