The Dow Jones recovered sharply after the Fed's move
The 0.5% cut, which will help to increase the flow of money in the US financial system, saw London's FTSE 100 jump 3.5% or 205.3 points to 6,064.2.
Relief was also felt in Wall Street, where shares opened sharply higher, and elsewhere in Europe.
At the close of trade in New York, the Dow Jones ended up 1.82% at 13,079.1.
The Nasdaq, which is dominated by technology companies, was also the recipient of a recovery of sentiment from deeply negative to tentatively positive. It was 2.31% ahead at 1,888.78 at the end of a chaotic week for global stocks.
Tighter credit conditions and increased uncertainty have the potential to restrain economic growth
US Federal Reserve Open Markets Committee
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The Fed's eagerly anticipated action will make it easier for banks and mortgage lenders to access the emergency capital it has been pumping into the US financial system over the past few weeks.
This brought some calm to shares, which have been hit by concerns over the worsening credit outlook.
The intervention had an immediate positive affect on European markets, and the Frankfurt Dax closed 1.49% ahead before the weekend, while the Cac 40 in Paris jumped 1.86% higher.
All three main European indexes had veered in and out of the red throughout the day's trading.
On Thursday, London's FTSE 100 fell 4.1%, cutting almost £60bn off the value of Britain's top companies.
Wait and see
The root of the worldwide slide in share prices lies in the US mortgage market.
The problems centre on the sub-prime sector, which offers higher-risk loans to people with a poor credit history.
Which markets ended the week higher, and which lower? London's FTSE 100: up 0.4% Dow Jones: down 1.2% S&P; 500: down 0.5% Frankfurt's Dax: up 0.4% Tokyo's Nikkei 225: down 8.9% Hong Kong's Hang Seng: down 6.4%
As US interest rates have risen and the housing bubble has burst, a growing number of sub-prime borrowers have defaulted on their loans.
Because the lenders have often sold on the debt, this has led to extensive financial difficulties for a number of investment funds with heavy exposure to the sector.
This, in turn, has prompted fears that the crisis currently contained in the financial markets could eventually spill over into real economic problems, like greater job insecurity, lower pensions and a flattening housing market.
Sentiment was not helped by the iconic US department store, Macy's, warning this week that fewer shoppers were walking through its doors. This followed bleak earnings forecasts from retail giant Wal-Mart and DIY firm Home Depot.
New York's Dow Jones index of leading shares has sunk almost 1,000 points, 6.5%, a month after reaching a record high of 14,000 on 19 July.
Fears linger that when trading resumes after the weekend, further losses could be seen as more financial institutions come clean and admit to the extent of their exposure to now worthless home loans.
Asian losses
While European shares received a boost from the Federal Reserve's support, it came too late to help Asian stock markets, which had earlier suffered heavy losses.
Japan's Nikkei declined 5.42%, its biggest points fall since April 2000, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed 1.38% lower.
The Bank of Japan injected 1.2 trillion yen ($10.7 billion; £5.4bn) into money markets, which was its third intervention of the week.
Japanese investors are worried that a slowdown in the US economy will hit exports from Asia.
There is also speculation that the Bank of Japan could raise interest rates next week, despite the problems on the market.
Elsewhere, the Australian central bank intervened to support its currency for the first time for six years.
The Australian dollar was facing its biggest one-day fall against the US dollar since it was allowed to trade freely in 1983.
The dollar has benefited from the financial crisis as investors sought a safe haven.
MAJOR SHARE INDEXES OVER THE PAST YEAR
+17 de agosto de 2007, 02:04 UTC 



 
* DJIA


 13079.08

  233.30 (1.82%)



 
* Nasdaq


 2505.03

  53.96 (2.20%)




* S&P 500


1,445.94

  34.67 (2.46%)




* FTSE 100


 6064.20

  205.30 (4.10%)




* DAX


7378.29 

 108.22 (1.49%)




* CAC 40


5265.47

  98.16 (1.86%)




* S&P TSX


13,049.58

  200.88 (1.56%)




* IPC


28,510.660

  717.500 (2.58%)






* MERV


1,929.120

  95.410 (5.20%)



 
* Bovespa


48,558.76

  543.21 (1.13%)




* All Ordinaries


5670.30

  41.90 (0.73%)




* Nikkei


15273.68

  874.81 (5.42%)





Luego de días de consternación por la caída de los índices bursátiles en Wall Street y en las mayores bolsas del mundo, las acciones vuelven a los positivos.

El cambio se debió luego de que el Sistema de Reserva Federal (Fed) recortara los tasa primara de descuento a los bancos en un movimiento de emergencia para estabilizar la bolsa.

El Dow Jones recibió ganancias de 233.30 puntos, mientras que el FTSE 100 del Reino Unido registró una subida del 4.10% (205.30 puntos) así recuperando gran cantidad de los perdido ayer 250.40 puntos (4.10%).

Además, el DAX de Frankfurt y el CAC 40 de París también ascendieron luego de la jornada, ganando 108.22 (1.49%) y 98.16 (1.86%) puntos respectivamente; al mismo tiempo, Canadá registró subidas del 200.88 (1.56%) en el S&P TSX.

Esto alivió las condiciones, y el Banco Central Estadounidense declaró que estaría "preparado para actuar como fuera necesario para mitigar los efectos adversos sobre la economía que surjan de las turbulencias en los mercados financieros".

=== Latinoamérica en el impulso ===

Las mayores bolsas de Latinoamérica siguieron el impulso europeo y norteamericano.

El Bovespa de Brasil registró subidas de una 543.21 (1.13%). "Aunque la Fed haya intentado calmar a los mercados, la gente todavía está muy cautelosa, porque la situación general aún no está resuelta", declararon en la bolsa de San Pablo. "Todavía existe el riesgo de que aparezcan otros fondos con problemas. Eso baja un poco el ánimo".

En Argentina, el Merval aumentó en 95.410 puntos (5.20%). "La reacción del Merval viene de la mano del clima internacional ante el 'shock' que generó en los mercados la rebaja en la tasas de la Fed", dijo Jorge Alberti, un especialista.

En Chile, el IPSA registró subidas del 2,54 por ciento hasta los 3.036,48 puntos. En Bogotá, el IGBC ganó un 2,72 por ciento, a 10.230,87 puntos, y así recobrando lo perdido en la jornada de ayer. En Lima, la situación fue de marcada mejora luego de que el IGBVL marcara subidas de un 5,65 por ciento, a 20.655,76 puntos.

=== El Pacífico no tanto ===

A pesar de las subidas a nivel casi mundial, las bolsas asiáticas registraron graves pérdidas.

El Nikkei de Tokio registró pérdidas de 874.81 (5.42%), la peor pérdida desde el 2000. El Banco de Japón ha inyectado cerca de 1,2 trillones de yen ($10,7 mil millones).

Además, en Australia, el All Ordinaries de Sídney cayó en 41.90 puntos (0.73%), causando la mayor caída del dólar australiano frente al estadounidense desde que se le autorizó comerciar libremente en 1983.