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Empresas y finanzas

Wall St leaps on bargain hunting, auto hopes


    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks extended their advance on Tuesday, sending benchmark indexes up more than 3 percent, as investors waded back into beaten-down sectors, including financials, following Monday's sell-off.

    Optimism about a government rescue for the U.S. auto industry added to the positive tone, along with General Electric's plan to maintain its dividend.

    The Dow Jones industrial average was up 265.22 points, or 3.25 percent, at 8,414.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 31.60 points, or 3.87 percent, at 847.81. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 52.26 points, or 3.74 percent, at 1,450.33.

    The S&P financial index jumped more than 7 percent, making the sector a top boost to the S&P 500 amid a rally in such stocks as Citigroup , up more than 15 percent.

    (Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Leslie Adler)