LONDON - Britain's top share index closed sharply higher in thin pre-Christmas trading, buoyed by commodity stocks on firmer metals and crude prices and a rally in banking equities. The FTSE 100 closed at 5,293.99 points, up 97.18 or 1.87 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European equities closed sharply higher, with energy shares gaining strength from higher crude prices as cold weather gripped both sides of the Atlantic, and banks recovering from recent losses.

At the start of a week shortened by the Christmas holiday, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 1.5 percent to close at 1,027.87 points, having fallen in the previous two sessions.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,930.53 points, up 99.32 or 1.7 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,872.06 points, up 77.62 or 2.05 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,504.44 points, up 40.12 or 0.62 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 23,149.83 points, up 264.39 or 1.16 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.41 percent to an eight-week closing high, boosted by gains in high-tech exporters such as Advantest Corp. after rises in US rivals late last week, with additional help coming from a weaker yen. In thin trade, the Nikkei climbed 41.42 points to 10,183.47, its highest finish since October 27.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Shares fell for a fifth straight session to a two-a-half month low, with banks and property counters leading the slide on concerns about further measures to restrain property speculation. Shares extended losses in the afternoon, falling as much as 1.15 percent to a session low of 20,932.77 before the benchmark Hang Seng Index ended down 1.08 percent or 227.78 points at 20,948.1, its lowest close since October 6.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Stocks edged down 0.33 percent, driven down by banks, but top airline Qantas Airways Ltd. jumped after flagging a return to profit. The S&P/ASX 200 index slipped 15.4 points to 4,635.1, after rising almost one percent earlier in the day.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand slipped in thin holiday against a stronger dollar that dragged on the gold price, but Johannesburg bourse closed up, boosted by resources and financial shares. The All-share index closed at 27,495.42 points, up 149.42 or 0.55 percent.