shows how fickle the markets are

Stocks jump after Bernanke says recession may end

NEW YORK – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has given Wall Street a double dose of reassurance. Now it's President Barack Obama's turn. Bernanke told Congress on Tuesday the recession might end this year, and that regulators aren't planning to nationalize banks.

The news alleviated some of investors' worries about the economy and the banking industry, and lifted the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index off their lowest levels since 1997.

And investors are hopeful that Tuesday night, President Barack Obama will provide specifics about how he plans to stabilize the financial system and further stimulate the economy. Anticipation of his remarks helped drive beaten-down financial shares up sharply.

"There's growing optimism that Obama can deliver the details that the market is so desperately looking for in his speech," said Ryan Larson, senior equity trader at Voyageur Asset Management. If it gets those details, he added, the market's upward momentum could continue.

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But, let's hope that this is a continuing trend...