Leading bank shares around the world plunged yesterday after the crash of Lehman Brothers, forcing central banks to prop up the system with tens of billions of dollars. But US stocks rallied in the final hour of trading to close higher.

American Insurance Group (AIG) was the eye of the storm, with New York governor David Paterson warning the insurer had one day to raise $75-$80 billion.

After sliding about 150 points in early trading, Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 11,059.02, up 141.51 points, or 1.3pc.

The S&P 500 gained 20.9 points, or 1.8pc, to 1,213.6, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 27.99 points, or 1.3pc, to 2,207.9.

Stock markets took new fright yesterday after the Wall Street shocks, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and bailout of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America.

The London and Tokyo markets dropped more than four per cent to their lowest points for more than three years with some leading bank shares dropping 20pc.

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