After all the hoopla this week, the Dow ended at 11,388.44, which is pretty much where it left off last Friday. The blue chip index advanced by 368.75 points, or 3.35%, for the day.

Broader indexes also ended higher Friday. The S&P 500 index increased 48.57 points, or 4.03%, to 1,255.08, and the Nasdaq gained 74.80 points, or 3.40%, closing at 2,273.90.

TodayÂ’s rally was fueled by the governmentÂ’s announcement that it will step in to help rescue banks from bad bets on mortgages. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson explained that a bailout is necessary though he offered little in terms of specifics. Paulson said that he will meet with members of congress over the weekend to hammer out the details.

The government announced other actions as well in order to help facilitate a less turbulent environment in the financial system. The Federal Reserve will expand its emergency lending program, allowing commercial banks

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Stocks closed mixed on low volume Tuesday after fluctuating sharply on today’s news. While investors applauded an above-expectations reading on consumer confidence, oil prices that moved up on Hurricane Gustav news and the Fed’s commentary on rising inflation quelled the market’s enthusiasm.

Trading continued to be on the thin side today as usually is the case during this (unofficial) last week of the summer.

Tuesday’s Dow Jones industrials advanced 26.62 points, or 0.23%, to 11,412.87. The Standard & Poor's 500 index moved up 4.66 points, or 0.37%, to 1,271.97. The tech-laden Nasdaq composite slipped by 3.62 points, or 0.15%, to 2,361.97.

Upbeat news came in at the beginning of the day as the Conference Board announced that the consumer confidence index increased to 56.9 from July’s revised reading of 51.9. Analysts were expecting a lower 53. This data translates into two straight months of improved sentiment, which

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Massey Energy Co. (MEE) continues see Wall Street lift earnings estimates. Full-year forecasts of $3.27 per share have risen by 4 cents in just the past week. One month ago, projections stood at $3.13 per share.

The company announced second-quarter results, which included a year-over-year increase of 38% produced coal revenue and an 8% increase in produced coal tons sold, citing the strength of its expanding operations in Central Appalachia as a catalyst. Second-quarter produced coal revenue reached a record $710.3 million, versus the prior-year $516.2 million.

The Zacks Rank #1 (”strong buy”) company’s earnings per share totaled $1.15, soaring past 43 the previous year’s 43 cents and exceeding the consensus estimate by 42%. Read our Jul 15, 2008 analysis.

Last Week's Growth and Income Zacks Rank Buy Stocks

Flowserve Corp. (FLS) recently posted record results for the second quarter and hiked its guidance by a

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