Stock Exchanges Rally; Dow Jones Sees Fifth-Largest Point Gain.

Byline: Gregg Fields

Sep. 25--In a hopeful sign that some semblance of normalcy may be returning to financial markets, stock exchanges around the world staged a powerful rally Monday, with the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 4.4 percent, to end the day at 8,603.86, up 368.05 points.

It was the fifth-largest point gain in the Dow's history, and the first daily gain the market has had in the week since trading resumed following terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

It also helped repair the 14 percent drubbing the Dow endured last week.

The Nasdaq Composite Index, which fell 16 percent last week, mounted an even more impressive rally, rising 5.3 percent to close at 1,499.40.

It was a similar scene in other world financial capitals. In Frankfurt, prices were up 6.6 percent, while London witnessed a 4 percent gain and Paris advanced 5.7 percent.

Experts said at least part of the incentive was, simply, opportunity. Last week was the stock market's worst performance since the Great Depression, despite calls from some quarters that buying stocks was a patriotic duty in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.