Thread: The Rebound: Numbers tell story of market recovery

The Rebound: Numbers tell story of market recovery

March 7, 2010 - 3:39pm

By TIM PARADIS
AP Business Writer

(AP) - NEW YORK _ On March 9, 2009, it felt like the world was ending.

The Dow Jones industrial average had tumbled to a 12-year low of 6,547, and looked to keep plunging. A day later, Citigroup Inc. stopped the market's drop with news that it was turning a profit. That began the stock market's answer to the Great Recession: the Great Rebound.

The numbers are hard to believe. The Dow has rocketed 61 percent in a year. That's the kind of gain that would normally come in five or six good years. The Standard & Poor's 500 index _ which is the basis for many retirement accounts and mutual funds _ jumped 20 percent in the first 10 trading days after March low. It's now up 68 percent.

And Citigroup? The bank that was hardest hit by the financial meltdown has seen its shares triple to $3.50.

There are still huge worries about jobs, deficits and the government's role in propping up a shaky financial system. But the market's climb means that, for now, investors are betting on a sustained economic recovery.

Here's a by-the-numbers look at one of the most remarkable years in the history of the stock market.

_ $5.6 trillion: Total gains in the stock market since March 9, as measured by the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, which tracks nearly all U.S.-based companies.

_ $5.6 trillion: The amount that stocks are still down from October 2007, when the Dow peaked at 14,164.

_ 83 percent: Amount the technology-dominated Nasdaq composite index is up since March 9.

_ 98 percent: Number of stocks in the S&P 500 index that are up since March.

_ 24 percent: Number of stocks in the S&P 500 index that are up since the market's peak in October 2007.

_ 129 percent: The average gain among financial stocks _ the best-performing industry group in the S&P 500 index.

_ 97 percent: The average gain among consumer-discretionary stocks, which includes retailers.

_ 17 percent: The average gain among telecommunications services stocks _ the worst-performing industry group.

_ 1,701 percent: Gain in shares of Genworth Financial Inc. from 91 cents to $16.39, through Friday. The best performer in the S&P 500 index.

_ 647 percent: Gain in a share of Ford Motor Co. from $1.74 to $13.00.

_ 345 percent: Gain in a share of Bank of America Corp. from $3.75 to $16.70.

_ 121 percent: Gain in a share of General Electric Co. from $7.41 to $16.35.

_ 14 percent: Gain in a share of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. from $47.51 to $54.14.

_ -56 percent: Drop in shares of MetroPCS Communications Inc. from $14.56 to $6.38; the worst performer in the S&P 500 index.

_ -$1.55 billion: Net cash flow for stock mutual funds, representing the money put into funds minus the money taken out.

_ $386 billion: Net cash flow for bond mutual funds.

_ 18-20: The historical average for the Volatility Index of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, also known as the VIX, or the market's "Fear Index."

_ 49.68: Where the VIX stood a year ago.

_ 17.42: Where the VIX closed on Friday.

_ $918: The price of an ounce of gold a year ago.

_ $1,135.20: The price of an ounce of gold on Friday.

_ 8.2 percent: Unemployment rate as of February last year.

_ 9.7 percent: Unemployment rate as of February of this year.

_ 726,000: Jobs lost in February last year.

_ 36,000: Jobs lost in February of this year.

_ $202.1 billion: Losses of the companies in the S&P 500 index in the final three months of 2008, a record.

_ $132.7 billion: Estimated earnings of the companies in the S&P 500 index in the final three months of 2009.

_ $1.26: The amount it cost to buy one euro a year ago.

_ $1.36: The amount it costs to buy one euro now.

_ 25.3: Consumer confidence a year ago _ a record low.

_ 46: Consumer confidence today.

_ 90: Consumer confidence number that economists believe signifies a healthy economy.

_ 5.15 percent: Average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage last year.

_ 4.97 percent: Average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage now.


(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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