From Morrison Securities Pty Ltd.

U.S. STOCK MARKETS

U.S. stocks turned mostly higher Thursday, with the S&P 500 extending gains into a third day, as an improving labor market helped curtail concern about Europe's debt troubles.

After sliding as much as 134 points, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 11.35 points, or 0.1%, at 12,407.07. Blue-chip decliners included Boeing Co. after the plane manufacturer said it fell behind schedule and didn't deliver as many 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 jumbo jets as planned last year.

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Bank of America Corp. led blue-chip gains, up 7.6%, after Deutsche Bank reiterated a positive view of banks. The S&P 500 rose 2.39 points, or 0.2%, to 1,279.69, with financials faring best and energy the greatest laggard among its 10 major industry groups.

Among the index's notable risers, Monsanto Co.'s shares gained more than 5% after the seed producer hiked its outlook for the full fiscal year as it reported first-quarter results. Barnes & Noble Inc. shares fell sharply after the book seller reduced its profit outlook and said it might separate its electronic and reader business from its physical stores. The Nasdaq Composite rose 18.13 points, or 0.7%, to 2,666.46. Advancers remained ahead of decliners on the New York Stock Exchange, where nearly 500 million shares had traded as of midafternoon.

EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS
Fresh fears about the health of European banks prompted steep declines in stock markets across the continent Thursday, with Italy and Spain among the worst hit.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.9% to end at 247.39. Banks posted especially steep losses, with the Stoxx 600 Banks index down 3.2% at 130.09.

The declines started Wednesday after Italy's UniCredit SpA priced a share sale at a 43% discount. Shares of UniCredit slumped 17% Thursday after sinking nearly 15% in the previous session. Italy's FTSE MIB index tumbled 3.7% to 14,767.22, led lower by UniCredit.

Other Italian banks also dropped, with Intesa Sanpaolo SpA trading down 7.3% and Banco Popolare shedding 10%. Concerns also escalated about Spanish banks after Spain's economy minister told the Financial Times that they will have to set aside as much as EUR50 billion, which amounts to 4% of Spain's gross domestic product, in extra provisions on bad property assets.

Spain's IBEX 35 index dropped 2.9% to 8,329.60, with Banco Santander SA down 4.5% and BBVA SA down 5%. French and German banks also came under pressure, with Societe Generale SA and BNP Paribas SA both shedding 5.4% in Paris and Deutsche Bank AG declining 5.6% in Frankfurt. That weighed on the CAC 40 index, which dropped 1.5% to 3,144.91.

Investors digested the results of a French government bond auction that saw a rise in 10-year yields, but fairly respectable demand from investors.

In Germany, the DAX 30 index posted relatively modest losses compared with other European markets, falling 0.3% to 6,095.99 after data showed a drop in German retail sales in November. Deutsche Bank was the biggest loser in the DAX, followed by Commerzbank AG, which dropped 4.5%. And in London, shares of CRH PLC declined 3.4% after the building-materials firm was downgraded to underperform from neutral by Credit Suisse. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index fell 0.8% to 5,624.26.

ASIA-PACIFIC MARKETS
Chinese stocks finished at their lowest level in nearly three years to lead broad losses among major Asian markets Thursday, as worries about the property sector and tight liquidity conditions hit investor sentiment.

Japanese stocks also declined as investors turned more cautious after Wednesday's rally amid more fears over the European debt situation, though energy producers helped lift Hong Kong stocks on rising crude-oil prices. In China, the Shanghai Composite fell 1% to 2,148.45, dropping to its lowest closing level since March 2009, and again failing to latch on to early gains.

The Shenzhen Composite plunged 3.5% to 813.99. Chinese developers broadly declined after property major China Vanke Co. Wednesday reported a 30% on-year drop in December sales.

China Vanke shares dropped 1.1% and Oceanwide Real Estate Group Co. lost 1.5% in Shenzhen. Poly Real Estate Group Co. eased 2.5% in Shanghai, while China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd. declined 2.5% in Hong Kong.

In other markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average lost 0.8% to 8,488.71 and South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.1% to 1,863.74. Among the gainers, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index added 0.5% to 18,813.41 and Taiwan's Taiex rose 0.7% to 7,130.86.

The performance in Asia came after European banks were sold off Wednesday as Italian lender UniCredit SpA sold new shares at a sharp discount.

Several financial stocks were hurt, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. losing 1.2% in Tokyo and Shinhan Financial Group Co. dropping 0.9% in Seoul. Some Chinese banks bucked the trend, with China Construction Bank Corp. rising 1.8% in Shanghai and adding 0.4% in Hong Kong.

Japanese technology shares lost ground as the euro weakened against the yen. Sony Corp. lost 2.2% and Casio Computer Co. gave up 1.5%. Chip maker Elpida Memory Inc. sank 7.4%, after the company confirmed a report that it is in discussions with some of its clients about possibly receiving financial support from them.

COMMODITIES
Base metals closed mostly lower on the London Metal Exchange Thursday, weighed down along with other dollar-denominated commodities as the euro fell to 16-month lows against the greenback.

At the close, the LME's flagship three-month copper contract was just 0.1% higher on the day at $7,539 a metric ton amid a mostly lower complex. Lead lost the most ground, closing down 2.6% at $2,005/ton. Aluminum closed 1.4% lower at $2,035/ton Thursday.

Crude oil futures prices slumped below $102 a barrel Thursday as news that U.S. oil inventories rose last week amid weak demand eclipsed worries about the potential for a disruption in oil supplies from Iran. The Energy Information Administration said crude oil stocks rose 2.2 million barrels in the week ended Dec. 30, while analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected a drop of 900,000 barrels.

Gasoline stocks rose 2.479 million barrels, more than twice the size of the expected 1.1 million barrel rise and distillate stocks (diesel/heating oil) rose 3.224 million barrels, more than five times the projected rise. The stock builds came as demand slumped.

Use of gasoline, the most widely used petroleum product, fell 4.1% to a two-month low of 8.556 million barrels a day and was 3.4% below a year ago. Light, sweet crude oil futures for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled 1.4% lower at $101.81 a barrel.

Gold futures edged higher, settling at the highest price in three weeks as investors continued to warm to the precious metal after December's losses. The most actively traded gold contract, for February delivery, rose $7.40, or 0.5%, to settle at $1,620.10 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement since Dec. 13 and the fourth consecutive session of gains.