Closing Stock Market Indices Outside The U.S.

LONDON - Britain's top share index fell for a fourth straight session as weakness in telecoms led by Vodafone and BT Group outweighed gains in energy stocks and beaten-down banks.

The FTSE 100 closed down 7.65 points, or 0.2 percent, at 4,052.23. The UK benchmark is down 8.6 percent this month after falling more than 31 percent last year -- its worst annual drop since its launch in 1984.

EUROPE - European shares fell for a fourth straight session on investors' jitters over a gloomy earnings picture painted by top cellphone maker Nokia and software giant Microsoft.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed 0.8 percent lower at 762.79 points after rising as high as 786.35. The index has fallen 8 percent so far this year on the top of a 45 percent plunge in 2008.

Nokia slumped 9 percent after a worse-than-expected dive in its fourth-quarter profit and its warning that market volumes would shrink 10 percent this year as the economic slowdown hit consumer spending.

The world's top software maker Microsoft shocked investors with disappointing results and said it would slash up to 5,000 jobs and stop offering profit forecasts for the rest of the year.

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 4219.42 points, down 41.73 or 0.98 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 2869.62 points, down 35.95 or 1.24 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 5329.44 points, up 25.27 or 0.48 percent.

MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 13883 points, down 220 or 1.56 percent.

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei stock average gained 1.9 percent, buoyed by property firms after the central bank said it would accept bonds issued by REITs as collateral, although Honda Motor and other exporters were hit by a firm yen.

In choppy trade, the Nikkei rose 150.10 points to close at 8,051.74, after earlier hitting its lowest point since Nov. 21.

HONG KONG - Hong Kong shares bounced off a two-month low and closed with a slight gain, driven by a strong recovery in HSBC on bargain-hunting.

HSBC's gains largely accounted for the Hang Seng Index's rise of 74.36 points or 0.6 percent to close at 12,657.99.

SYDNEY - Australian stocks closed 1.3 percent higher with miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton pacing the gains, though concerns over what is ahead for company earnings limited the rebound.

The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 44 points to 3,486.8, clawing back ground after falling 4 percent in the previous two days.

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand softened against the dollar as investor risk aversion hit emerging market currencies, while stocks fell for the fourth consecutive session, tracking Wall Street's losses.

The All-share index closed at 19876.34 points, down 172.66 or 0.86 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2295.49 points, up 53.62 or 2.39 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 15720.41 points, down 105.78 or 0.67 percent.