The stock market was optimistic today after hearing the speeches of Ben Bernanke and President Bush. Market participants felt like the two speeches both indicated that all policymakers were willing to take all the steps necessary to avoid severe 
economic problems from the current credit market crisis. The Dow finished the day with a gain of 119 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 closed up by 31 and 16 respectively.
Financial sector stocks that have been under significant pressure were among the leaders today. E*Trade Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ETFC) finished the day up by 5.48% as the speeches eased investors minds, at least for today. Morgan Stanley Corporation (NYSE:MS) gained 3.67% and Merrill Lynch and Company (NYSE:MER) rose 2.11% as the investment banking sector gained ground.
The housing sector also traded significantly higher on the day. KB Home (NYSE:KBH) gained 4.23%, and D.R. Horton Inc (NYSE:DHI) shares closed 3.78% higher. The sector was boosted by President Bush's remarks this morning of a propsal for government intervention to help the mortgage crisis.
