Closing Stock Market Indices Outside The U.S.

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

LONDON - Britain's top share index closed 0.8 percent lower, weighed by mostly grim blue chip corporate news and a gloomy economic backdrop which hit metal prices and mining stocks. The FTSE 100 closed at 4,202.24 points, down 32.02 or 0.76 percent.

EUROPE - European shares closed 1.5 percent lower, as poor figures hit firms including Capgemini and BT, and banks slipped on doubts about the U.S. government plan to prop up the financial system.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index closed at 791.69 points, after earlier falling to as low as 784.

Markets extended the previous day's losses as investors lamented the lack of detail provided in a $2 trillion U.S. bank rescue plan announced earlier this week by the U.S. government.

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 4,407.56 points, down 122.53 or 2.70 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 2,964.34 points, down 63.38 or 2.09 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 5,106.67 points, down 17.1 or 0.33 percent.

MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 14,149 points, down 272 or 1.89 percent.

TOKYO - The Nikkei stock average slid 3.03 percent to post its lowest close in over two weeks, as disappointment over a U.S. bank rescue plan hurt financial shares and a firmer yen dragged down exporters. The benchmark Nikkei shed 240.58 points to 7,705.36, its lowest finish since Jan. 26.

HONG KONG - Shares fell 2.3 percent in disappointment over a compromise deal on the $789 billion U.S. stimulus plan while a sharp fall in Chinese imports and exports in January beat down mainland stocks. The Hang Seng Index ended 310.91 points lower at 13,228.30 led by a 2.6 percent fall in the world's largest wireless carrier, China Mobile.

SYDNEY - Stocks closed 1.15 percent higher, boosted by gold mining firms and some of the biggest banks, and by slightly better than expected employment data. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 39.9 points to 3,514.3, after rising to as high as 3,553.7.

JOHANNESBURG - South African assets took a beating, knocked by rumours of a possible credit rating downgrade and renewed risk aversion that hit stocks across the world. The All-share index closed at 20,665.91 points, down 388.58 or 1.85 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,732.43 points, up 91.66 or 3.47 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 15,998.47 points, down 135.05 or 0.84 percent.

The following table shows the close of key indices on major world stock exchanges and the London closing values of the euro, the Japanese yen, the British pound and gold bullion (previous day's closes in brackets):

Feb 12 DAY'S CHANGE 2008/09 2008/09

CLOSE IN POINTS HIGH LOW NEW YORK 7835.51 -103.78 13058.20 7552.29

(1300 EDT) (May 02/08) (Nov 20/08) LONDON 4202.24 -32.02 6479.4 3780.96

(Jan 03/08) (Nov 21/08) TOKYO 7705.36 -240.58 14691.41 7162.90

(Jan 04/08) (Oct 27/08) FRANKFURT 4407.56 -122.53 7949.11 4127.41

(Jan 02/08) (Nov 21/08) PARIS 2964.34 -63.38 5550.36 2849.14

(Jan 02/08) (Jan 23/09) SYDNEY 3514.3 +39.9 6353.2 3342.7

(Jan 02/08) (Jan 23/09) HONG KONG 13228.30 -310.91 27560.52 11015.84

(Jan 02/08) (Oct 27/08)

- - - - FOREIGN EXCHANGE/GOLD BULLION AT 1800 GMT

Euro/Dollar 1.2826 (1.2855)

Dollar/Yen 90.53 (90.56)

Pound/Dollar 1.4233 (1.4342)

Gold (ounce) 947.20 (944.35) - - - -

*INDICES USED AND THEIR ALL-TIME CLOSING HIGHS

New York Dow Jones industrial average -- 14164.53 (Oct 09/07)

London FTSE 100 inderx -- 6930.2 (Dec 30/99)

Tokyo Nikkei average -- 38915.87 (Dec 29/89)

Frankfurt DAX index -- 8105.69 (Jul 16/07)

Paris CAC-40 General index -- 6922.23 (Sep 04/00)

Sydney Australia S&P/ASX 200 -- 6828.7 (Nov 01/07)

Hong Kong Hang Seng index -- 31638.22 (Oct 30/07)