Investors were encouraged on multiple fronts: assurances that the financial system was under improvement from U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, word that Citigroup was profitable by one measure in the first two months of 2009 and hints at reinstatement of a short-selling restriction. Still, similar sharp rallies in September, October and November turned out to be fleeting, and the market has still not had two gaining sessions since Feb.