NEW YORK, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices rose for the fourth session on Thursday as European Union leaders' pledge to help debt- stricken Greece boosted market sentiment.

European leaders had reached an agreement on Thursday, saying members would be prepared to step in if needed to help Greece solve its debt issues. Though details will not be revealed until next week's EU financial ministers meeting, investors' concerns were eased.

Upbeat jobless report also helped to push oil higher. The U.S. Labor Department reported that the number of new filings for jobless benefits fell by 43,000 claims last week, much more than analysts had expected.

However, investors remained cautious before this week's inventory report, which was postponed to be released on Friday. Concerns over sluggish demand limited oil's gains.

Light, sweet crude for March delivery rose 76 cents to settle at 75.28 U.S. dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In London, Brent crude added 51 cents to settle at 73.05 dollars a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange.