US markets rallied on Friday after the government announced sweeping measures to rescue the financial system. Friday's session capped an amazingly volatile week, but one that resulted in just a 34 point decline for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
The federal government said it is establishing a plan that will allow banks to get soured mortgage related assets off their balance sheets. Furthermore, the Treasury have said that it will insure up to $50 billion in money market fund investments at companies that pay a fee to participate in the program. The United States also join the UK by temporarily banning bets that financial stocks will fall - a technique that has been blamed for contributing to the decline of Lehman Brothers.
The Dow Jones jumped 368.75 points to close at 11,388.44, the S&P 500 surged 48.57 points to end at 1,255.08. The Nasdaq rallied 74.8 points to finish at 2,273.90.
Financial stocks dominated the risers boards. Washington Mutual soared 42.1% after the Wall Street Journal reported that Citigroup was considering making a bid for the savings and loans company. Citigroup also managed a 22.7% gain. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs both rose strongly after a week where investors had fretted about the outlook for the two remaining US investment banks. Morgan Stanley added 20.7% while Goldman rose 20.2%. Morgan Stanley continues to be in talks with Wachovia Corp, China Investment Corp and other institutions, but the rebound in its share price gives the company more time to consider its options.
Elsewhere, Oracle Corp jumped 7% after reporting higher quarterly earnings that beat estimates, on higher revenue that missed estimates.
US light crude oil for October delivery surged $6.67, the second biggest one-day dollar gain ever, to close at $104.55 a barrel. COMEX gold for December delivery fell $32.30 to settle at $864.70 an ounce. Treasury prices slumped, sending the yield on the 10 year note to 3.73% from 3.54% late Thursday.
The Nikkei rose 169.73 points to close at 12,090.59 this morning. Resona Holdings Inc, Japan's fourth largest listed bank, surged 10% on the US Treasury's plans. Mitsubishi Corp led gains among trading houses and resourse producers as crude oil traded near a two week high.
The Hang Seng is currently 135.93 points higher at 19,463.66. HSBC Holdings Plc climbs 1.6% while Cnooc Ltd, China's biggest offshore oil producer, jumps 4.2% after crude prices advanced.
The FTSE 100 is 43.27 points lower at 5,268.03 this morning. Wolseley tops the risers board, up 4%, after reporting its full year results. Eurasian Natural Resources leads a number of mining stocks higher as a result of rising metal and oil prices. The London Stock Exchange tops the fallers board on news that PLUS Markets has lodged a case with the High Court against an "anti-competitive" trade reporting rule of the LSE. The rule at stake requires PLUS members that are also members of the LSE to report trades in smaller companies, those listed on London's junior AIM market, to the LSE, creating additional costs.