LONDON - A rally by miners on a report Australia will soon announce major changes to a planned tax on the sector and firmer banks, helped by improved economic sentiment, lifted Britain's top shares by the close. However gains were limited by another sharp fall for BP, hurt by worries about costs associated with an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The FTSE 100 ended up 46.64 points, or 0.9 percent, at 5,132.50, having broken a three-day losing streak on Wednesday.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European shares rose strongly for a second day, with miners up as the Australian government was said to be diluting its tax hike plans and banks gaining on robust demand in a Spanish government debt auction. Confirmation of strong Chinese trade data also boosted the market. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares rose 1.5 percent to a close of 1,014.14 points.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROpean markets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 6056.59 points, up 71.84 or 1.20 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3516.64 points, up 69.87 or 2.03 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6376.66 points, up 57.48 or 0.91 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 19989.27 points, up 468.28 or 2.40 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - The Nikkei average rose 1.1 percent, moving away from six-month lows hit the previous day, after robust Chinese exports lifted hopes that the global economic recovery would not falter on European debt woes. The Nikkei gained 103.52 points to 9,542.65.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - The Hang Seng Index ended about flat with a sharp slide in shares of online gaming company Tencent, down 7 percent, offsetting gains in energy and telecommunications issues. The index closed up 11.46 points at 19,632.7.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Shares rose 1.14 percent, led by resources stocks, as strong Chinese output and trade data pushed up base metal and oil prices. Better-than-expected jobs data in Australia also boosted confidence. Data showed the economy created 26,900 jobs in May, well ahead of expectations, and unemployment ticked down to 5.2 percent, ahead of forecasts for a 5.4 percent rate. The index climbed 49.9 points to 4,435.3.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand and stocks gained, supported by gains on Wall Street while Chinese exports data lifted hopes about the global economic recovery. The All-share index closed at 27133.87 points,