The Dow crossed 10,000 in afternoon trading Wednesday, seven months after it hit a 12-year low of 6,547.05 on March 9.
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Investors celebrated news of another jump in home sales by propelling the Dow Jones Industrial average to its first close above 9,000 since January.
Fresh signs emerged yesterday that the recession is letting up. Manufacturing's slide is slowing. Builders are increasing spending on construction projects -- including homes. And consumers aren't cutting back as much as some had feared.
The Federal Reserve is keeping Wall Street's big rally alive with news that it will start buying Treasurys to help open up tight credit markets.
Housing construction posted a surprisingly large increase in February, bolstered by strength in all parts of the country except the West.
Investors have been clamoring for months for a bit of good news. They got a load of it yesterday. The Dow Jones industrials shot up 240 points, bringing its gains over the past three days to 622 points. It was the index's biggest three-day jump since last November. This week's rally got an extra dose of adrenaline after an accounting board told Congress yesterday that it may recommend a let-up in financial reporting rules for troubled banks in three weeks. Upheaval in the banking industry has been dogging the market since 2007, and the hope that banks might finally get relief in how they value their bad assets spurred a flurry of buying.
The Dow Jones industrial average has plunged below 7,000 as investors grow increasingly pessimistic about the health of banks, and in turn the economy, around the world.
Wall Street turned sharply lower Wednesday, as a bailout of Detroit's Big Three automakers appeared stalled on Capitol Hill, and another round of downbeat economic news further disheartened investors. The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 200 points.
Wall Street ended a tumultuous two-week run relatively quietly yesterday, finishing another back-and-forth session mixed as investors were cheered by signs of easing in the credit markets and managed to absorb lackluster economic news with equanimity.
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