LONDON - Britain's top share index rose for a third straight session to close up 0.46 percent, boosted by bullish economic data from the US, as heavyweight oils, miners and banks underpinned the rally. The FTSE 100 ended 23.28 points higher at 5,042.13, after trading as low as 4,996.52 earlier in the session.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European stocks ended higher, led by banks such as HSBC, as robust U.S. monthly retail sales rekindled hopes of a speedy economic recovery and helped the market resume its two-week rally. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed 0.1 percent higher at 992.37 points, gaining ground for the seventh time in eight sessions.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,628.98 points, up 8.74 or 0.16 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,752.21 points, up 21.6 or 0.58 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,213.19 points, down 12.45 or 0.2 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 23,599.32 points, up 97.92 or 0.42 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei average edged up 0.15 percent in choppy trade, buoyed by Canon Inc. and other exporters as the yen held steady against the dollar, but worries that it may only be a brief respite limited gains. The benchmark Nikkei rose 15.56 points to 10,217.62, after falling 2.3 percent the day before.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Shares slid 0.31 percent during afternoon trade after a severe tropical storm forestalled the morning session, with shares in Alibaba.com leading the fall despite stronger China stocks and overseas markets. The Hang Seng Index closed down 65.83 points at 20,866.37.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Shares edged up 0.2 percent as resource stocks offset mostly weaker banks, but top phone company Telstra Corp. fell sharply on the prospect it would have to split its network and retail businesses. The S&P/ASX 200 index stood 9.2 points higher at 4,540.3. The index fell 1.4 percent on Monday in a bout of profit-taking.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - The rand strengthened against the dollar after strong US data and the local bourse gained in line with European equities. The All-share index closed at 25,217.56 points, up 53.3 or 0.21 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,569.65 points, down 7.07 or 0.27 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19,614.3 points, up 119.98 or 0.62 percent.