Insurer Leads 259-Point Surge

Financials lead as government moves to help banking giant

(NEWSER) - Stocks rallied today in a vote of confidence for the $326 billion Citibank rescue plan and Barack Obama’s team of economic advisers, MarketWatch reports. Combined with Friday's surge, the rally was the largest 2-day jump in over 20 years. The Dow rose 396.97 points to close at 8,443.39. The Nasdaq surged 87.67, closing at 1,472.02, and the S&P 500 gained 51.78 points, settling at 851.81. More»

CEO Vikram Pandit confident government will sell Citi stake

(NEWSER) - A possible move by China to tighten monetary policy sapped stocks today, but optimistic comments from Citigroup's CEO led the indexes higher in the final hour, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow added 45 points to close at 10,612.
• The Nasdaq gained 10 points, closing at 2,368.
• The S&P 500 rose 5 points, settling at 1,150.

Investors predict payroll gains for March

(NEWSER) - Gains in financial stocks kept the markets afloat today. Both AIG and Citigroup closed up, in part because of a successful offering of $2 billion in trust preferred securities, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow gained 2.95 points to close at 10,567.33.
• The Nasdaq added 18.27 to settle at 2,358.95.
• The S&P 500 rose 5.17, closing at 1,145.61.

Manufacturing employment rises

(NEWSER) - News of Prudential's agreement to buy AIG's Asia division sowed confidence on Wall Street today. Stocks rose, boosted as well by a jump in manufacturing employment, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 78.53 points to close at 10,403.79.
• The Nasdaq added 35.31, closing at 2,273.57.
• The S&P 500 gained 11.22 to settle at 1,115.71.

Dow off 170 midday on European credit woes

(NEWSER) - Stocks regained their opening levels after severe losses that saw the Dow off 170 points at midday today. Despite better-than-expected US employment figures, worries about the creditworthiness of some troubled European nations exerted downward pressure on stocks, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow Jones closed up 10.05 points at 10,012.23.
• The Nasdaq gained 15.69 to close at 2,141.12.
• The S&P 500 added 3.07 to settle at 1,066.18.