NEW YORK — Reports that all countries using the euro could get their credit ratings downgraded deflated a morning rally in the stock market Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 78 points, giving back much of a 167-point gain from earlier.
News reports in the afternoon said Standard & Poor’s would put all nations that use the euro on “creditwatch negative,” meaning there is a 50-50 chance of a downgrade in the coming months. S&P had warned of possible rating demotions for many of the countries. The inclusion on the list of Germany, Europe’s strongest economy, was the biggest surprise.
After the market closed, S&P confirmed that it had placed 15 nations on notice for possible downgrades. Two countries that use the euro weren’t affected: Cyprus already has that designation, and Greece already has ratings low enough to suggest that it is likely to default soon anyway.
Stocks rose in the morning after the leaders of France and Germany called for a new treaty to impose greater fiscal discipline on European countries. Yields on Italian government bonds receded sharply after the new government of Mario Monti introduced sweeping austerity measures over the weekend. That suggests traders think Italy is less likely to default.
“There’s pent-up demand, and people will use any excuse to get back in, thinking there’s been too much pessimism,” said Brian Gendreau, an investment strategist with Cetera Financial Group.
Despite strong signals about the U.S. economy, the market has been weighed down by negative headlines about the U.S. budget impasse, credit-rating downgrades of the U.S. and other nations, and Europe’s spreading crisis, Gendreau said.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 78.41 points, or 0.7 percent, to 12,097.83.
The gains were broad. All 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 index rose as the index climbed 12.80, or 1 percent, to 1,257.08. The Nasdaq rose 28.83, or 1.1 percent, to 2,655.76.
Analysts say bailing out Italy would be too costly and would hurt the credit standing of German and France, which have the strongest economies in the euro group.
Monday’s gains follow the best week in more than two years for U.S. stock indexes. The S&P 500 rose 7.4 percent last week, the most since March 2009. The Dow jumped 7 percent, the most since July 2009.
