* U.S. efforts to spur economy boost optimism * Home builders' stocks up after mortgage data, Fed move * Nasdaq outpaces Dow, S&P helped by tech companies * Dow up 1.3 pct, S&P 500 up 1.4 pct, Nasdaq up 1.7 pct * For up to the minute market news, please click on [STXNEWS/US]. (Adds weekly, monthly stats; AIG and GM; updates index figures) By Chuck Mikolajczak and Chris Sanders NEW YORK, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Wall Street closed out its worst year since the Great Depression on Wednesday after an unstoppable credit crisis and a dreadful economic outlook left investors questioning their faith in stock markets. A string of financial disasters culminating in the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the middle of the night in September precipitated the third biggest percentage loss ever for the Dow industrials and the broad S&P 500. By Nov. 20, the S&P had hit an 11-year low, destroying more than a decade of returns for many Americans and wiping out memories of record highs reached just 13 months earlier. Continued...US STOCKS-Wall St closes out worst year since Depression
Thursday, 1 January 2009
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