The U.S. stock market posted the steepest two-dayrally since the aftermath of the 1987 crash as government efforts to bolster banks helped the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rebound from its biggest losses in seven years. Financial shares in the S&P 500 plunged 13 percent in the first three days of the week as Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch & Co. sold itself and the government seized American International Group Inc., sending the market to its steepest declines since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Government plans to purge banks of bad assets and curb bets on share declines sparked a 24 percent rally in lenders and brokerages in the final two trading sessions and left stocks little changed for the week. It's been a roller coaster, and the investors would like to get off the ride if they could the Cleveland-based chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank, which oversees about $30 billion. ``Lehman may be gone, Merrill may be gone, but the government has taken a basic step to solve the crisis by being a buyer of last resort. That offers the hope we really will put this part of the crisis behind us.'' The S&P 500 rose 0.3 percent to 1,255.08, its second straight weekly advance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3 percent to 11,388.44. The Russell 2000 Index of small- company stocks added 4.7 percent to 753.74.
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