HERE IS HOW MAJOR STOCK MARKETS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES ENDED ON THURSDAY, ACCORDING TO REUTERS. LONDON - BRITAIN'S LEADING SHARE INDEX CLOSED HIGHER, BOOSTED BY FIRMER U.S. STOCK MARKETS AND WITH SUPPORT FROM BANKS SUCH AS ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND, BUT WEAKER MINERS TEMPERED THE RISE. THE FTSE 100 SHARE INDEX CLOSED 25.9 POINTS, OR 0.45 PERCENT, HIGHER AT 5,749.7 POINTS, HAVING TRADED AS HIGH AS 5,754.8 POINTS IN EARLY MOVES AND FALLEN AS FAR 5,680.6. EUROPE - EUROPEAN SHARE INDEXES STAGED A LATE TURNAROUND TO CLOSE THE SESSION HIGHER, SHRUGGING OFF THE NEGATIVE LEAD FROM HEAVYWEIGHT MINING STOCKS AS OIL PRODUCERS GAINED AND U.S. DATA HELPED CALM INTEREST RATE WORRIES. DEUTSCHE BOERSE JUMPED AS INVESTORS BET IT STOOD A BETTER CHANCE OF SNARING EURONEXT AFTER NYSE SAID IT DID NOT PLAN TO CHANGE ITS BID TERMS, WHILE GREECE'S NATIONAL BANK DROPPED AFTER A RIGHTS ISSUE APPROVAL. "WE HOPE THERE WILL AN UPSIDE MOVEMENT IN EURO STOCKS BUT IT WILL BE A VERY LOW, MORE TECHNICAL MOVE," SAID GUILLAUME DUCHESNE, EQUITY STRATEGIST AT FORTIS PRIVATE BANKING. "THE TREND IS QUITE NEGATIVE IN EUROPE." THE PAN-EUROPEAN FTSEUROFIRST 300 INDEX CLOSED 0.3 PERCENT STRONGER AT 1,311.13 POINTS, HAVING DROPPED AS LOW AS 1,295.08 AS GLOBAL MARKETS REMAINED VOLATILE. --MORE
