Stocks soared today on optimism surrounding the government’s stimulus and bank rescue plans. The KBW Banking Index rose 11.94% and the KBW Regional Banking Index rose 8.21%. The broader S&P 500 Index was up 2.69%.

The Bank Index was led by Fifth Third Bancorp, Regions Financial Corporation, and M&I, which were up 60.37%, 48.41%, and 39.01%, respectively. Leading the Regional Banking Index were Frontier Financial Corporation, Sterling Financial Corporation, and Synovus Financial, which were up 48.76%, 44.85%, and 28.22%, respectively.

All components of both the KBW Banking Index and the KBW Regional Banking Index were up today.