US stocks surge after China cuts rates to help economy

Published 10:02 am Tuesday, August 25, 2015

U.S. stocks surged in early trading Tuesday after China’s central bank cut its key interest rate in a bid to boost growth in the world’s second-largest economy.

The move erased some of the stock market’s heavy losses from a day earlier when concerns over a slowdown in China’s economy rattled global markets and knocked down the Dow Jones industrial average more than 588 points.

The Dow was up 349 points, or 2.2 percent, to 16,221 as of 10:18 a.m. Eastern time, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained 45 points, or 2.4 percent, to 1,938. The Nasdaq composite rose 137 points, or 3 percent, to 4,664.

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The three indexes closed lower three days in a row as investors wrestled with uncertainty over increased signs of a slowdown in China’s economy and the timing of a long-expected interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

Investors also welcomed encouraging government data indicating that U.S. consumer confidence rebounded this month. A separate report showed sales of new U.S. homes bounced back in July.

China cut its interest rates for the fifth time in nine months in a renewed effort to shore up economic growth. The central bank lowered the benchmark rate for a one-year loan by 0.25 percentage points to 4.6 percent and the one-year rate for deposits by a similar margin to 1.75 percent.

The bank also increased the amount of money available for lending by reducing the minimum reserves banks are required to hold by 0.5 percentage points.

The move came as Beijing appeared to be abandoning a strategy of having a state-owned company buy shares to stem the market slide.

Analysts say that while Tuesday’s actions by the central bank may calm the stock market turmoil for now, the country faces a long period of uncertainty that will create more volatility.