Stocks surge as Italy, Greece calm fears
by Matthew Craft
Associated Press Writer
November 12, 2011 12:01 AM | 442 views | 0 0 comments | 2 2 recommendations | email to a friend | print
NEW YORK — Stocks surged Friday, erasing their losses for the week, after Italy and Greece moved closer to getting their financial crises under control. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped back above 12,000.

Italy’s benchmark stock index leapt 3.7 percent and its borrowing costs plunged after the country’s Senate passed a crucial austerity budget demanded by the European Union. Other European stock markets and the euro also pushed higher as investors became more confident that Italy would avoid a fiscal disaster.

The passage clears the way for Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi to step down. Berlusconi was widely considered an obstacle to serious economic reforms. The yield on Italy’s benchmark two-year bond dropped 0.43 percentage point to 5.69 percent. That’s a sign bond investors think Italy will succeed in managing its massive debt load. On Wednesday the yield soared as high as 7.13 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 259.89 points, or 2.2 percent, to 12,153.68. It closed below 12,000 the previous two days. Friday’s rally pushed the Dow up 1.4 percent for the week.

Together with a 112-point gain the day before, the Dow has now made up most of the 389-point plunge it took on Wednesday. That sell-off was triggered by the spike in Italy’s borrowing costs and a breakdown in talks to name a new prime minister in Greece.

Comments
(0)
Comments-icon Post a Comment
No Comments Yet
*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, spam, and links to outside websites will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides