Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF , which tracks the financial stocks in the S&P 500 , added 2% to $13.06.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch)
Shares of Citigroup Inc. rose 6% on Thursday and led financial stocks higher following a packet of positive U.S. economic data and a rally in European bank stocks
Among the Dow financial stocks, Bank of America Corp. rose more than 4% to $5.47, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. added 3% to $33.45, American Express Co. rose 0.3% and Travelers Cos. Inc.  gained 0.2%.
Europe largely kept its gains after banks clawed back ground lost from the prior day’s selloff
Wednesday’s news that the European Central Bank lent much more money to banks than was expected in three-year loans, triggered fears the banking sector was much worse off than had been thought.
Solid gains came from Deutsche Bank AG  +4.48% , ING Groep NV +3.39%  and BNP Paribas SA BNP +3.40%