Last year at this time we were all marveling at a market runup that seemed to build on Obama-era fundamentals and pick up steam with the news of President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and limiting of regulations.

But the end of 2018 couldn’t come fast enough for some investors after the market went on a dizzying ride that ended badly. This week has brought more volatility. Thursday brought a 2.8 percent drop in the Dow Jones industrial average after warnings from Apple that it would miss its sales mark badly.  

But the day after that sharp decline, this morning brought a sharp increase in the Dow with good news out of China, calming words from the Fed and anticipation of the December jobs report. 

Here’s a sampling of the reporting:

CNN: “The Dow rose 500 points after a strong jobs report Friday. The S&P 500 rose 2.1 percent and Nasdaq was up 2.4 percent. Stocks got a boost after China took steps to encourage bank lending and stimulate the country’s flagging economy. The People’s Bank of China announced it would slash the amount of money that banks are required to hold in reserve, the latest in a series of policy changes the government has taken to support growth.”

Investor’s Business Daily: “A trio of positive China news headlines spurred a global stock market rebound. First the Caixin service-sector purchasers index came in stronger than expected. Second, China’s central bank slashed bank reserve requirements by 100 basis points to support more lending and economic growth. That came after Premier Li Keqiang visited several Chinese banking giants and pledged support for the economy. Third, China confirmed U.S.-China trade talks will take place in Beijing on Jan. 7-8.”

CNBC: “U.S. stock index futures rose sharply on Friday as Netflix and Intel were poised to lead a strong rebound in tech stocks. At around 8:35 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a gain of about 230 points at the open. Futures on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 also pointed to a positive open.”