Stocks rallied around the world, with the U.S. market climbing the most in five months, as investors speculated the Obama administration’s plan to rid banks of toxic assets will spur growth and investor Mark Mobius said a new bull market has begun.
Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. both soared at least 19 percent as the U.S. Treasury said it will finance as much as $1 trillion in purchases of distressed assets. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. jumped more than 6.7 percent after oil rose to an almost four-month high. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index extended its rebound from a 12-year closing low on March 9 to 22 percent as all 10 of its main industry groups advanced.
The S&P 500 gained 7.1 percent to 822.91, its biggest increase since Oct. 28. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 497.48 points, or 6.8 percent, to 7,775.86. The MSCI World Index climbed for the ninth time in 10 days, adding 5.4 percent. Twenty-one stocks rose for each that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.
The Treasury’s Public-Private Investment Program will use $75 billion to $100 billion from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program enacted last year, giving the government “purchasing power” of $500 billion. The Treasury said the program may double “over time.”
Benchmark indexes extended gains in the first 40 minutes after an industry report showed home sales unexpectedly increased in February.
(Bloomberg.com)
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4 Responses
It’s all artificial business,no one is really creating wealth,they are just getting us deeper into long-term debt.It’s like another ponzi scheme. If you don’t collect more taxes,where does the money come from to give to the banks?
Let’s see how long this will last.
hhhmmm….what happened in November???
#1 you asked where the money came from
In the 1920s, the Germans would buy printing presses.
But now we have computers. In effect, if the Fed has unlimited overdraft privileges with itself.
Imagine that Ben B. has a “cheat” button in case he needs more cash – anyone for a game of “Central Bank Tycoon”