e duties of leader of the largest party in parliament, I must dedicate myself to those duties." PASOK won a landslide victory in 2009 general elections, but party defections and public anger over austerity measures prompted it to form an interim coalition government with the rival conservatives last November. Recent opinion polls have seen its support sink to as low as 11 percent, http://www.cheaptomsoutlet0.com - cheapest toms shoes , with general elections expected in late April. ___ Online Social Contract Party: http://www.koinonikisymfonia.gr/ Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ, http://www.cheaptomsoutlet0.com - toms shoes on sale . An insider's guide to politics and policy, http://www.cheaptomsoutlet0.com - cheap toms shoes sale , available on the iPad or as a PDF download.
By MATTHEW CRAFT, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) The Dow Jones industrial average is at its highest level since 2007 after a day of encouraging signs for the economy: Retail sales were strong, the Federal Reserve was optimistic and most of the nation's biggest banks got a clean bill of health. The Dow surged nearly 218 points, its biggest gain of the year. The Nasdaq composite index also reached a milestone, closing above 3,000 for the first time since December 2000. Stocks started Tuesday higher, and momentum built throughout the day, http://www.51downjz.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1363647 - http://www.51downjz.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1363647 . The government reported before the market opened that retail sales in February increased the most since September. Shortly after 2 p.m., the Federal Reserve said it expected the unemployment rate to keep falling. Then, at about 3 p.m., JPMorgan Chase said it was raising its dividend and launching a $15 billion stock buyback program, all with the blessing of the Fed. The Fed was planning on waiting until Thursday to release the results of its annual "stress tests" on banks, which determine which are healthy enough to raise their dividends. After JPMorgan's announcement, the Fed released the results early. The Fed's action was the latest sign that the U.S. financial system was getting healthier. JPMorgan led the Dow higher, shooting up 7 percent. Other big banks including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo also gained 6 percent. "That's what really made the day," said Jeffrey Kleintop, chief market strategist at LPL Financial. Banks were easily the best-performing stocks in the market, gaining almost 4 percent as a group. The Fed's test results had some negative outcomes, too. While JPMorgan Chase and 14 other financial institutions passed, four, http://www.powersmart.cc/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2186439 - http://www.powersmart.cc/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2186439 , including Citigroup, failed. Citigroup stock was down 4 percent in after-hours trading following the Fed announcement. The Dow finished at 13,177.68, its highest close since Dec. 31, 2007. The close put the Dow within 1,000 points of its record, 14,164.53, set less than three months earlier. All 30 stocks in the Dow closed higher, the first time that has happened this year. The Nasdaq composite index rose 56.22 points, http://www.0771xp.com/sq/viewthread.php?tid=471731&extra= - http://www.0771xp.com/sq/viewthread.php?tid=471731&extra= , or 1.9 percent, to 3,039.88. On Dec. 11, 2000, the last time the
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