Wall Street ends biggest 3-day surge in three months

Wall Street closed its best three-day run in the past three months after the Greek parliament approved austerity measures to avoid defaulting on its debt.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 72.73 points, or 0.60 percent, to 12,261.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 10.74 points, or 0.83 percent, to 1,307.41. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 11.18 points, or 0.41 percent, to 2,740.49.

uropean shares hit their highest close in two weeks after Greek lawmakers approved austerity measures that are critical to the debt-laden country securing the next tranche of bailout funds.

The Euro STOXX 50 volatility index , one of Europe's main barometers of sentiment, fell 13.1 percent, indicating a rise in appetite for risk. The FTSEurofirst 300 index closed up 1.7 percent at 1,098.71 points.

The Nikkei average closed at a seven-week high, close to the top of its trading range since the March earthquake, helped by easing worries over Greece's debt problems, although uncertainty about a long-term solution kept trade thin. The benchmark Nikkei rose 1.5 percent to 9,797.26, just shy of the 9,800 mark many market players have regarded as the top end of its core range since the quake. The broader Topix gained 1.7 percent to 844.11.