Wall Street ends with modest gain; Dow up 58 pts while Asia trading mixed; Seoul Composite up 4.5%

US markets ended in the green as investor’s cheered earnings surprises from American Express and others amid an underlying buzz of anxiety about the economy. Financials led the rebound in markets.

However economic news continues to be dismal. Consumer confidence fell to record low in January. US home prices plunged 18.2% in November.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 58.70 points, or 0.72%, to 8,174.73. The S&P 500 index advanced 9.14 points, or 1.09%, to 845.71, and the Nasdaq composite index added 15.44 points, or 1.04%, to 1,504.90.