BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The following are the indices of major stock markets worldwide on Wednesday.

IN ASIA

The Shanghai Composite Index opened at 3,588.88 points, up 7.02 points, or 0.20 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index opened at 11,101.32 points, up 1.49 points, or 0.01 percent.

The Hang Seng Index opened at 25,348.30 points, up 218.27 points, or 0.87 percent.

The S&P/ASX 200 index opened at 8,726.00 points, up 48.80 points, or 0.56 percent.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average opened at 40,189.18 points, up 414.26 points, or 1.04 percent.

The Straits Times Index opened at 4,217.66 points, up 9.40 points, or 0.22 percent.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index opened at 3,189.65 points, up 19.71 points, or 0.62 percent.

IN THE UNITED STATES

The S&P 500 Index closed at 6,309.62 points, up 4.02 points, or 0.06 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 44,502.44 points, up 179.37 points, or 0.40 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 20,892.69 points, down 81.48 points, or 0.39 percent.

IN EUROPE

The DAX Index closed at 24,041.90 points, down 265.90 points, or 1.09 percent.

The FTSE 100 Index closed at 9,023.81 points, up 10.82 points, or 0.12 percent.

The Paris CAC 40 closed at 7,744.41 points, down 53.81 points, or 0.69 percent. ■