Dow Up 397 on Positive News

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.

Financials led the charge, with Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs shares all seeing at least 25% gains, while battered insurers like Genworth Financial and Hartford Financial also recouped some of last week’s losses. Though pleased with the markets' response, analysts pointed out that recent day-of rallies marking the announcement of rescue efforts have so far all fizzled shortly after.
(More Dow Jones stories.)