NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street barreled higher yesterday for the second day in a row, giving the Dow Jones industrial average its biggest two-day point gain in five years after a Federal Reserve official hinted that the central bank may lower interest rates again.

Investors' renewed hopes for a rate cut added to their relief that companies that made losing bets on sub-prime mortgages, such as Citigroup Inc. and Freddie Mac, are coming up with ways to raise cash. The market was clearly optimistic that at least some of the damage from the months-long credit crisis was finally being mitigated.

However, Wall Street has been fickle in recent months, and no one is betting that the mortgage crisis that tripped up the nation's financial industry this year is over, or that the market's huge gains so far this week will stick. Despite its spectacular advance this week, the Dow remains six percent below its October 9 record close over 14,000, having plunged due to worries that the housing market's slump will lead to further losses for banks, and that the Fed cannot keep slashing rates.

"The market's perception of whether the Fed cuts or not really changes by the day," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at Spencer Clarke LLC. "We still have more data to come."

Early Wednesday, Fed vice-chairman Donald Kohn told the Council on Foreign Relations that recent financial turbulence has reversed some of the improvement seen in markets in previous weeks, and could squeeze credit for households and businesses.

He said tight financial conditions may merit "offsetting" policy from the central bank.

The possibility for lower rates seemed more compelling to investors than persistent concerns about a slowdown in economic growth.

The Fed has already reduced rates at its last two meetings, and continues to inject billions of dollars into the financial system through repurchase agreements to help calm the shaky markets. The central bank will hold its final rate-setting meeting of the year on December 11.

Plunging oil and gold prices also lifted investors' hopes for a rate cut - if inflation is in control, policy makers have less reason to keep rates high.

The Fed's Beige Book of economic activity around the country said with the economy expanding at a reduced pace, most core prices are stable or down slightly.

According to preliminary calculations, the Dow soared 331.01, or 2.55 percent, to 13,289.45, adding to the blue chip index's 215 point gain on Tuesday and giving the market's best known indicator its largest two-day point gain since October 11, 2002.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index jumped 40.79, or 2.86 percent, to 1,469.02, while the Nasdaq composite index shot up 82.11, or 3.18 percent, to 2,662.91.

Government bonds slipped as stocks rallied.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 4.04 percent from 3.95 percent late on Tuesday.

Crude oil posted its own two-day milestone Wednesday, falling $3.80 to settle at $90.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after dropping $3.28 on Tuesday.

The $7 two-day plunge was the second-largest since the Nymex introduced a futures contract 24 years ago.

The dollar fell against the euro and pound, but rose against the yen.

"Everything we're seeing in the market is revolving about credit and encouragement that the Fed is going to bail us out again," said Alexander Paris, economist and market analyst for Chicago-based Barrington Research.

"Investors are kind of ignoring the economic news like housing and durable orders that were all weaker than expected."