Acting in an emergency conference call, the Federal Reserve moved Wednesday to bolster the flagging economy by cutting interest rates by half a point for the fourth time this year.
It marked the most aggressive credit easing during Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's nearly 14 years at the helm and sent a clear message that the central bank is prepared to do whatever it can to prevent a recession.
Wall Street, which had given up hope that the Fed would cut rates again before its meeting on May 15, soared on the news.
The Dow Jones industrial average enjoyed its third biggest one-day point gain in history, rising by 399.10 points, or 3.9 percent, to close at 10,615.83. The technology-heavy Nasdaq rose 8.1 percent, its fourth best percentage gain, to close at 2,079.44.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.