Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Dow posted its largest two-day percentage gain since 1987 after the government’s announced plan to to bail out Citigroup Inc.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street barreled higher Monday for the second straight session, this time in a relief rally over the government’s plan to bail out Citigroup Inc. — a move it hopes will help quiet some of the uncertainty hounding the financial sector and the overall economy. The Dow Jones industrials soared nearly 400 points and the major indexes all jumped more than 4.5 percent.
The surge gave the market its first two-day advance since Oct. 30-31 and the Dow’s biggest two-day percentage gain since October 1987; the 891-point rise over the two sessions also wiped out an 872-point plunge over the course of Wednesday and Thursday. Although investors sensed late last week that a rescue of Citigroup was forthcoming, investors nonetheless were heartened, even emboldened, by the U.S. government’s decision late Sunday to invest $20 billion in Citigroup and guarantee $306 billion in risky assets.
Wall Street’s enthusiasm grew not only because the bailout answered questions about Citigroup but also because many observers saw the move as offering as a model for how the government might carry out other bank stabilizations.
“This could be the template for saving the banks,” said Scott Bleier, founder of market advisory service CreateCapital.com.
“The government has taken a new quill out, they’ve gone to where they didn’t go before in terms of trying to secure the system,” Bleier said. “Some of that vulnerability seems to be gone now.”
Still, the market remains wary, especially with the economy in a serious downturn. The Dow was up more than 500 points in the last hour before giving up some of its gains — many investors wanted to take some money off the table before the next bit of bad news arrives. And the market has frequently done sharp reversals since the start of the credit crisis 15 months ago.
The efforts from the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to help stabilize Citigroup are only the latest this year to support a banking system troubled by bad debt and flagging confidence. Besides implementing its $700 billion bailout plan for the overall financial industry, the government has bailed out insurance giant American International Group Inc. and taken over lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
“You’re definitely seeing relief,” said Anthony Conroy, managing director and head trader for BNY ConvergEx Group. “More than anything, the Fed repaired some of the psychological damage that was being done to the sector. I think the Fed is poised to do whatever they possibly can to help the financials get through the current turmoil.”
“Not all banks are unhealthy, so knowing that the Fed is there is enough,” Conroy said.
According to preliminary calculations, the Dow rose 396.97, or 4.93 percent, to 8,443.39.
Broader stock indicators also jumped. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index advanced 51.78, or 6.47 percent, to 851.81, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 87.67, or 6.33 percent, to 1,472.02.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 30.25, or 7.44 percent, to 436.79.
The rise in stocks follows a rally Friday that saw the Dow industrials jump 494 points, or 6.5 percent. The other major indexes also rose sharply. Still, stocks ended the week with a loss after heavy selling Wednesday and Thursday.
“I think it’s a little bit of confidence coming back into the system right now,” said Harry Clark, chief executive of Clark Capital Management. He contends the market began to form a bottom in an Oct. 10 sell-off and on Thursday made further headway toward setting a low that could give way to a rally.
Jim Baird, chief investment strategist with Plante Moran Financial Advisors, said the uncertainty over whether the government’s cocktail of direct investments in financial houses and support of debt obligations will prove effective has led to recent stock market volatility. He warned, however, that the concerns about banks and the broader economy are likely to continue, he said.
“Just the sheer breadth of potential outcomes is very, very wide which I think makes it difficult for investors to determine how do you play it from here.”