Profit at Citigroup and an upbeat turn in consumer confidence numbers bolstered investors' hopes that the worst economic declines were behind, and that the recent stock-market rally had some staying power.
"These figures give hope than we can finally put the past decade of decline behind us," Kim Bayley, chief executive of the Entertainment Retailers Association, said.
In smaller groups, the drivers began ferrying crew and equipment up the hill, depositing them as the sun declined behind the breathtaking pyramids.
"I was hoping we had gotten a good portion of the decline behind us and I was ready to make the move," said Mr. Naroff, speaking of the house he bought in Margate in 2008 not long before Lehman Brothers crashed.
"We need to understand more about what is really driving the decline behind these two.
The large states — France, Germany, Italy — are falling into relative decline behind quick-paced Americans and Asians who are thrust into the future not only by business competition, but also by the lure of the new opportunities created by the knowledge economy.
At the same time, lenders have become more cautious about whom they will lend to, as more people lose their jobs, watch their incomes decline and fall behind on their bills.
Lucent Technologies rose 89 cents, to $10.90, after an analyst at Lehman Brothers, Steven Levy, said the worst of the revenue declines were behind it.
"While we're no doubt seeing weakness and will continue to see weakness, some of the worst declines are behind us," he says.
"The bulk of the decline is behind us, but we are not yet out of the woods".
