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
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 265.22 points, or 3.25 percent, at 8,414.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 31.60 points, or 3.87 percent, at 847.81. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 52.26 points, or 3.74 percent, at 1,450.33.
The S&P financial index <.GSPF> jumped more than 7 percent, making the sector a top boost to the S&P 500 amid a rally in such stocks as Citigroup
(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Leslie Adler)
