Stock Market

LONDON (March 02 2010): Major stock markets outside the United States ended on Monday.

EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares closed higher as firm commodity prices lifting miners and oils, while HSBC Holdings PLC fell after reporting results and Prudential slumped after it agreed to buy AIG's Asian assets for $35.5 billion.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares rose 1.2 percent at 1,019.59 points, hitting a one-week closing high. Oil majors were supported after crude neared $80 a barrel on a firmer dollar as a selloff in sterling spooked currency markets, prompting a knee-jerk drop in the euro versus the dollar.

FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 5,713.51 points, up 115.05 or 2.06 percent.

PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 3,769.54 points, up 60.74 or 1.64 percent.

ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 6,791.48 points, up 80.49 or 1.20 percent.

MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The FT IT All Share index closed at 21,840.24 points, up 257 or 1.19 percent.

SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Stocks rose 1.05 percent, as higher oil and metals prices propelled the resources sector, and investors, reassured by strong corporate results, flocked to banks and top supermarkets groups. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 48.8 points to 4,686.5.

JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South African stocks closed higher, boosted by an increase in risk appetite, while the rand firmed against the dollar, shrugging off the greenback's rally against key currencies abroad. The All-share index closed at 27,026.02 points, up 261.41 or 0.98 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,167.2 points, down 15.69 or 0.72 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 21,567.04 points, up 384.14 or 1.81 percent.