LONDON - The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed up yesterday at 141.19 points, or 2.7 percent, at 5,366.41.

"(M&A talk) is certainly helping the market higher. But the FTSE is up on low volume," Manoj Ladwa, senior trader at ETX Capital, said.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - The FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares rose 2.9 percent to close at 1,055.69 points, its biggest one-day percentage rise since May 27. The index lost 1.7 percent last month, but Wednesday's rise took it back into positive territory for 2010. "The main reason is the data from China, and that was needed, because China is one of the few pockets of strength left," said Heino Ruland, strategist at Ruland Research in Frankfurt. "Equities are not expensive, so any sign of a resumption of stronger growth, and people will look at purchasing equities as opposed to bonds."

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - Germany's DAX closed up 158.68 points (2.68 percent) at 6,083.9 for the day.

PARIS - The CAC-40 in France ended up 135.05 points, or 3.8 percent, at 3,623.84.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average recovered some of Tuesday's sharp declines - it closed 102.96 points, or 1.2 percent, at 8,927.02 after hitting a 16-month closing low the previous day.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent to 20,623.83.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Investors were also cheered by figures showing that Australia's economy grew a seasonally adjusted 1.2 percent in the April-June quarter as demand from China and elsewhere in Asia boosted exports of iron ore and other commodities. The rise, the highest for three years, was more than the 0.9 percent anticipated in the markets. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index, jumped 2.1 percent to 4,495.7 after the growth figures.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index advanced for a third consecutive day, adding 360.7, or 1.3 percent, to 27,614.57 by 12.40 p.m. in Johannesburg.