Closing Stock Market Indices Outside The U.S.

The Nikkei stock average mostly shrugged off news of a North Korean nuclear test to rise 1.31 percent.

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Monday.

LONDON - United Kingdom markets were closed for the Spring Bank Holiday. They will reopen on Tuesday. On Friday, the FTSE 100 index ended the session up 19.82 points at 4,365.29.

EUROPE - European shares closed higher with Sanofi Aventis leading pharmaceuticals higher after winning a U.S. contract, and some analysts choosing to interpret a leading German economic survey positively. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares rose 0.3 percent to a provisional close of 858.57 points, after two sessions of losses.

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 4,918.45 points, down 0.3 or 0.01 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,236.16 points, up 8.19 or 0.25 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 5,446.24 points, up 36.98 or 0.68 percent.

MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 15,759 points, down 42 or 0.27 percent.

TOKYO - The Nikkei stock average mostly shrugged off news of a North Korean nuclear test to rise 1.31 percent, with steel shares in favour as concerns of price cuts receded. The benchmark Nikkei gained 121.19 to 9,347.00 after rising as far as 9,402.76, a gain of 1.9 percent, during early trade.

HONG KONG - Shares edged up, shrugging off early losses on news China would lift a moratorium on new listings as early as next month, as previous week's three day slump pulled in buyers. The Hang Seng Index ended 0.35 percent or 59.30 points higher at 17,121.82.

SYDNEY - Shares fell 0.63 percent to a one-week closing low as banking stocks, such as Macquarie Group Ltd, fell after the market regulator lifted a shortselling ban on financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 index stood 23.7 points lower at 3,737.9, its lowest close sine May 18.

JOHANNESBURG - Stocks edged lower in line with European markets but MTN jumped 9 percent after it revived merger talks with India's Bharti Airtel. The All-share index closed at 22,407.28 points, down 18.26 or 0.08 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,715.9 points, up 46.26 or 1.73 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 17,648.9 points, up 337.64 or 1.95 percent.