Wall Street stocks roared back to life yesterday, shaking off four routs in a row following strong retail sales data and White House reassurances that Fed Chair Jay Powell will not be fired.
The Dow Jones finished up nearly 1,100 points, or about 5%, at 22,878.
The broad-based S&P 500 also surged 5% to end at 2,468, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite index advanced 5.8% to close at 6,554.
The US gains were the biggest for a single session on Wall Street in nine years, a surge analysts attributed in part to technical factors after days of selling.
Analysts said that US stocks are coming off of oversold conditions and are due for a bounce.
But yesterday's session was not without its shaky moments.
After opening solidly higher, the Dow briefly sank into the red in mid-morning before recovering and gathering steam throughout the day.
Many investors have been unnerved by a variety of factors, including the partial US government shutdown, the US-China trade war and Trump's ongoing criticism of Fed Chair Powell.
But some analysts have argued that the stock market's weakness in December has been disproportionate to economic conditions at a time when unemployment is low and growth is still solid.
Data from Mastercard SpendingPulse showed US holiday sales increased 5.1% this Christmas season to more than $850 billion, the biggest growth in the last six years.
White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett also sought to reassure on Powell's prospects, telling ABC News the Fed chief is "100%" safe.
The remarks followed weekend media reports that US President Donald Trump has discussed firing Powell.
