LONDON - Britain's leading share index gained 1.43 percent as stocks enjoyed a broad-based recovery, with heavyweight oils and miners in demand as raw material prices rose while financials also rallied. By the close, the FTSE 100 was 66.91 points higher at 4,756.58, having reversed earlier losses to close slightly higher on Wednesday.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European shares closed higher with construction stocks gaining after Holcim results pleased investors, while banks and commodity stocks performed well. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares closed up 1.4 percent at 944.94 points. The index has risen more than 46 percent from its lifetime low on March 9 as investors have become more confident over the prospects of recovery.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,311.06 points, up 79.08 or 1.51 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,505.32 points, up 54.98 or 1.59 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,032.05 points, up 51.26 or 0.86 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 21,886.43 points, up 260.05 or 1.2 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei average climbed 1.76 percent to bounce back from a three-week closing low, with investors encouraged by a rebound in Chinese shares and gains in resource shares after crude oil surged. In moderate trade, the Nikkei rose 179.41 points to 10,383.41.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Shares rose 1.88 percent tracking solid gains on the Shanghai bourse, but heavyweight China Mobile weighed on on the main index after reporting disappointing earnings in the second quarter. The Hang Seng Index finished 374.63 points higher at 20,328.86, bouncing off a one-month closing low on Wednesday.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Stocks ended flat after a mixed bag of earnings results, with companies that delivered cautious outlooks, such as coal-to-groceries conglomerate Wesfarmers, being punished. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 3.7 points to 4,377.5.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - Markets gained, with stocks led by miners after a leap in industrial metal prices, and the rand driven by risk appetite to two-week high against the dollar. The All-share index closed at 24,601.69 points, up 342.15 or 1.41 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,325.37 points, down 2.92 or 0.13 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19,279.29 points, up 224.78 or 1.18 percent.