FROM MORRISON SECURITIES PTY. LTD:

Stocks received an initial boost after Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and his coalition partners struck a deal on new cuts demanded by creditors to secure a vital bailout.

The prime minister had struggled in recent days to find an agreement on economic overhauls sought by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in exchange for lending an additional EUR130 billion to the Greek government to keep it from defaulting on its debts next month.

A German official cautioned that the agreement likely won't be sufficient for any decisions at Thursday's meeting of euro-zone finance ministers in Brussels, because the deal lacks detailed paperwork.

U.S. STOCK MARKETS

U.S. stocks drifted higher Thursday as investors took stock of a Greek austerity deal and continued improvement in the U.S. labor market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 21 points, or 0.2%, to 12907 in afternoon trade.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 3.6 points, or 0.3%, to 1354 and the Nasdaq Composite edged up 13 points, or 0.5%, to 2929. Technology and consumer-staple stocks led sector gains.

United Technologies led among Dow members, rising 2.3%. Top blue-chip laggards were Cisco Systems, down 2.1%, and Hewlett-Packard, down 1.2%.

In the U.S., separate readings on jobs and business activity were better than expected. Initial unemployment claims fell more than expected last week, down 15,000 to 358,000.

The previous week's figure was revised up to 373,000 from 367,000. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected the latest week's claims to total 370,000.

U.S. wholesale inventories rose more than expected in December, a signal that businesses restocked at the end of last year to meet rising demand. Inventories increased by 1.0% from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted $473.17 billion.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a 0.5% increase. In corporate news, PepsiCo declined 3.5% after the soft-drink and snack company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results, but provided a 2012 earnings outlook below current estimates.

Groupon slumped 16% after the company reported a slight fourth-quarter loss against expectations of a slight profit, although revenue beat estimates, and the first-quarter revenue outlook was above current projections. TripAdvisor fell 14%, leading the S&P 500 lower, after the company's first quarterly results since its separation from Expedia fell short of estimates and the travel website provided a subdued outlook.

EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS

European stock markets finished higher Thursday, helped by news that Greece's political leaders reached an agreement on key austerity measures, together with the European Central Bank saying collateral rules will be relaxed for institutions trying to access cheap money from the central bank.

Stocks were boosted after Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and his coalition partners struck a deal on new cuts demanded by creditors to secure a vital bailout.

But stocks pared gains toward the end of the session as investors said the deal, which followed protracted talks, was largely expected.

Overall, the Stoxx Europe 600 index ended up 0.2% at 263.64, snapping a three-day losing streak. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index ended up 0.3% at 5895.47, Germany's DAX rose 0.6% to 6788.80, its highest close since August, and France's CAC-40 index finished up 0.4% at 3424.71.

Banking stocks built strong gains, helped by the Greek deal news, but more importantly after ECB President Mario Draghi said collateral rules will be relaxed for institutions trying to access cheap money from the ECB.

Draghi said the central bank will now accept additional credit claims as collateral and gave traders hope that credit conditions will ease further.

The Stoxx Europe 600 banks index rose 0.6%. Commerzbank AG gained 3.3%, Societe Generale SA rose 5.4%, Credit Agricole SA added 3.3%, and BNP Paribas SA was up 1.1%.

Belgian bank KBC Group NV rose 8.2% after it reported earnings below consensus estimates, but said it reduced exposure to Southern European government bonds and concluded a sale of its Polish insurance unit at an attractive price.

Norwegian DnB ASA surged 8.3%, after reporting strong earnings and saying it expects further growth in 2012. Earlier, the ECB kept key rates unchanged, as expected, while the Bank of England said it would increase its asset-purchase program by an additional GBP50 billion, citing a weak near-term growth outlook. The move by the BOE was largely expected.

ASIA-PACIFIC STOCK MARKETS

Japanese shares fell modestly Thursday, while Hong Kong stocks ended flat after a choppy trading session as an unexpected increase in China's inflation rate and continued uncertainty over Greek debt negotiations kept investor sentiment subdued.

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.2% to 9002.24 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended little changed at 21,010.01. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kospi rose 0.5% to a fresh six-month closing high of 2014.62, while Taiwan's Taiex also pushed 0.5% higher to end at a six-month closing high of 7,910.78.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.1% to 2349.59 as investors considered the implications of the above-view reading on China's consumer price index for January.

Several mainland banks dropped in Hong Kong after the data undercut expectations for near-term policy loosening in Beijing.

Bank of Communications fell 2.5%, Agricultural Bank of China dropped 0.8% and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China gave up 0.9%. In Shanghai, Bank of Communications fell 1.0% and Agricultural Bank of China dropped 0.7%, while Bank of Nanjing declined 1.0%.

Lending support to the markets, many Chinese property developers continued to rise after the People's Bank of China recently pledged support to first-time home buyers.

China Resources Land jumped 5.7% and Evergrande Real Estate Group soared 7.4% in Hong Kong; on the mainland bourses, Poly Real Estate Group added 1.3% in Shanghai, while China Vanke gained 1.5% in Shenzhen.

Japanese industrial firms were among the weaker performers in Tokyo Thursday after December core machinery orders fell a larger-than-expected 7.1% from the year-earlier period. Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. retreated 1.4%, and Komatsu dropped 0.7%.

COMMODITIES

Copper closed 2% higher on the London Metal Exchange Thursday as base metal prices were lifted by reports of a Greek austerity deal.

LME three-month copper ended the PM kerb at $8,755 a metric ton, up $175 on its previous close. It is the red metal's highest close since Sept. 13. Three-month aluminum ended up $36, or 1.6%, at $2,289/ton.

The news overshadowed higher than expected Chinese inflation figures earlier in the session. Nickel was one of the laggards during the session, coming under pressure from a weak physical market and softening Asian premiums.

Three-month nickel ended up just $5, or 0.02%, at $21,505/ton. Crude-oil futures rose Thursday after Greece agreed to an austerity package that would reduce concerns about the euro zone's debt crisis.

Crude prices were also helped by positive developments in the U.S., where a drop in weekly jobless claims boosted hopes that the economy there was on a recovery path.

Light, sweet crude oil futures for March delivery settled $1.13 higher at $99.83 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures ended higher amid an easing of concerns after Greek leaders sealed a deal on economic changes. The most active contract, for April delivery, gained $9.90, or 0.6%, to settle at $1,741.20 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.