By SARA LEPRO NEW YORK (AP) — A stock market reassured by Ford Motor Co.'s assessment of its financial health bounced back Tuesday, regaining some of the ground lost in the previous session's huge drop. The Dow Jones industrials rose 180 points, regaining more than a quarter of Monday's nearly 680-point plunge. Calming words came from Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who said his company has enough cash to make it through 2009 and may not need government help. Mulally's comments, in an interview with The Associated Press, came as Ford, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC were scheduled to submit to Congress plans for remaking themselves; lawmakers demanded those plans before considering whether to give the automakers $25 billion in government support. The news placated investors who sold stocks lower Monday amid a stream of bad economic news that started with lackluster Thanksgiving weekend retail sales and that also included an official confirmation that the country is in recession. Still, some buying was to be expected after the stock market suffered one of its worst days since the start of the financial crisis on Monday. But investors remained wary; the automakers were releasing their November sales figures later Tuesday. They were also concerned about the financial sector following a report that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. could face losses totaling $2 billion when it reports its fiscal fourth-quarter results because of continued market turmoil. The report underscored concerns that banks will be saddled with more losses in the coming quarters due to the ongoing troubles in the credit and housing markets. And there were more signs of trouble for retailers, a worrisome turn for the market that is concerned that consumers won't be able to spend enough to boost the sagging economy. Sears Holdings Corp., battered by hefty charges and weak results at its U.S. department stores and Kmart locations, reported that it swung to a loss in the quarter. The company has previously said it will close eight more underperforming stores this year. Office supply chain Staples Inc., meanwhile, said its third-quarter profit dropped 43 percent because of hefty charges from restructuring and an acquisition. Excluding the charges, results topped Wall Street estimates. Revenue rose 35 percent, even though North American retail sales suffered. In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 182.55, or 2.24 percent, to 8,331.64. Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 21.24, or 2.60 percent, to 837.45, while the Nasdaq composite index gained 33.81, or 2.42 percent, to 1,431.88. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 12.72, or 3.05 percent, to 429.79. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 4 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 343 million shares. Bond prices were mixed. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, was unchanged from late Monday at 2.76 percent. The yield on the three-month T-bill, considered one of the safest investments, rose to 0.11 percent from 0.03 percent late Monday. The market's steep drop on Monday, when the Dow plunged 679.95 points, ended a five-day rally — the first such winning streak for the Dow and the S&P 500 since July 2007. There was further evidence Tuesday that the housing sector remains under pressure. Homebuilder Beazer Homes USA Inc. said its fiscal fourth-quarter losses more than tripled as revenue plunged. The company said demand for new homes continues to be hurt by low consumer confidence, falling prices, extensive supply and less access to financing. Goldman Sachs could face losses of about $5 per share, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal citing industry insiders and analysts. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, forecast Goldman will lose $1.06 per share for the quarter ended Nov. 30. It would be Goldman's first quarterly loss since it went public in 1999. Goldman Sachs shares dropped $2.83, or 4.3 percent, to $62.93. JPMorgan Chase & Co. fell $1.31, or 5 percent, to $24.81. Investors have also been worried that the government's financial rescue plan might not be enough to prop up the country's financial institutions. General Electric Co. said it expects fourth-quarter earnings to be near the low end of its previous guidance. The diversified industrial, finance and media conglomerate will give investors greater detail Tuesday on plans to reorganize its ailing GE Capital finance unit. The changes are expected to save GE $2 billion next year, but will likely lead to job cuts. GE rose 83 cents, or 5.4 percent, to $16.33. The dollar fell against other major currencies. Gold prices rose. Light, sweet crude rose 46 cents to $49.74 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 6.35 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.19 percent, Germany's DAX index was up 0.74 percent, and France's CAC-40 was down 0.30 percent.

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