Closing stock market indices outside the U.S.
Sunday November 22, 2009 01:04:18 AM GMT
LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Friday.
LONDON - Britain's top share index ended in negative territory for a fourth consecutive session as weakness in commodity stocks and banks outweighed gains from defensive pharmaceuticals. The FTSE 100 closed at 5,251.41 points, down 16.29 or 0.31 percent, down 44.97 points from last week.
EUROPE - European equities slipped for a fourth session to a two-week closing low as financials lost ground on concerns over some banks' exposure to Ukrainian debt, while weaker crude oil prices hurt energy shares.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended down 0.8 percent at 1,002.95 points, the lowest close since Nov. 6. It fell 1.6 percent during the week after gaining in the previous two weeks.
Banks were among the top losers as speculation over Ukrainian debt resurfaced, even though analysts said there was no fresh development to trigger the sudden fright.
FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,663.15 points, down 39.03 or 0.68 percent, falling 23.68 points over the week.
PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,729.36 points, down 30.86 or 0.82 percent, a drop of 76.65 points since last weekend.
ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,277.46 points, down 9.35 or 0.15 percent. Over the last seven days the index lost 73.62 points.
MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 22,954.36 points, down 304.83 or 1.31 percent, losing 755.66 points during the week.
TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.5 percent and logged its first four-week losing streak in over a year, with Sony sliding after its new growth strategy failed to reassure investors. The Nikkei fell 51.79 points to a four-month closing low of 9,497.68. The Nikkei lost 272.63 points or 2.8 percent on the week for its fourth straight weekly drop.
HONG KONG - Shares in Hong Kong and Shanghai fell, tracking losses in other Asian markets, while Chinese lenders dropped on reports Beijing may adjust their reserve requirements. The Hang Seng Index closed down 0.83 percent, or 187.32 points, at 22,455.84, the lowest in more than a week. The index was down 97.79 points or 0.43 percent for the week, reversing a 3.3 percent gain in the previous week.
SYDNEY - Australian shares fell 1.3 percent to a two-week closing low, as companies with large export earnings, such as Westfield Group, lost ground on concerns the U.S. economic recovery was losing momentum. The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 63.4 points to 4,685.8, its lowest close since Nov. 9, after ditching 20.64 points in the week.
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand gave up some ground against the dollar, largely reflecting a dip in investors' appetite for risk, while stocks fell across the board, tracking lower world markets. The All-share index closed at 26,929.25 points, down 129.96 or 0.48 percent. Since last Friday the index has added 234.01 points. The All Gold index closed at 2,604.63 points, up 38.54 or 1.50 percent, up 48.63 points from a week ago, while the Industrial index closed at 21,082.93 points, down 76.49 or 0.36 percent. The index gained 221.06 points on the week.
