LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters):

Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Tuesday.

LONDON - Britain's benchmark index ended just inside positive territory as a robust banking sector offset a heavy fall in oil stocks hit by lower oil prices. The FTSE 100 closed at 6,196.1 points, up 1.9 or 0.03 per cent.

EUROPE - European shares closed higher but below intraday peaks, with gains for construction and telecom stocks offsetting a weaker energy sector hit by lower oil prices and disappointing numbers from BP.

Two investment banks warned that aggregate price-to-earnings (P/E) valuations were skewed by low multiples for many stocks with a high market capitalisation.

"A low aggregate P/E multiple disguises the fact that the average stock is not attractive," Dresdner Kleinwort said in a strategy note.

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 6,614.37 points, up 6.78 or 0.10 per cent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 5,533.03 points, up 14.44 or 0.26 per cent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 8,874 points, up 23.75 or 0.27 per cent.

MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 31,939 points, up 51 or 0.16 per cent.

TOKYO - The Nikkei average rose 0.86 per cent as shares of Sony jumped after an upgrade by Goldman Sachs, while JFE Holdings and other steel stocks rebounded from recent falls. The Nikkei climbed 146.18 points to close at 17,237.77.

HONG KONG - Hong Kong blue chips fell 0.7 per cent and China plays slid 1.3 per cent as investors booked profits in recent highflyers, including telecoms and mainland financial issues. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 131.58 points to close at 19,898.08.

SYDNEY - Australian shares bounced 1.6 per cent, snapping a four-day slide, as energy infrastructure group Alinta jumped on a management buy-out offer, while big miners such as BHP Billiton rallied after their recent rout. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index added 87.7 points to close at 5,589.7.

JOHANNESBURG - The All-share index closed at 24,603.61 points, up 191.14 or 0.78 per cent. The All Gold index closed at 2,773.75 points, down 18.61 or 0.67 per cent, while the Industrial index closed at 17,769.73 points, up 134.27 or 0.76 per cent.

NEW YORK - U.S. technology stocks rose on Tuesday, led by gains in shares of Apple Computer Inc, after the iPod maker unveiled a hotly anticipated mobile phone and boosted optimism about the tech sector.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 7.05 points, or 0.06 per cent, at 12,416.44. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 0.72 points, or 0.05 per cent, at 1,412.12. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 5.63 points, or 0.23 per cent, at 2,443.83.