Wall Street broke a four-day advance today as a rally in financial stocks fizzled and dragged the market lower.

Wall Street received the interest rate cut it wanted, but still turned in a baffling late-day performance, shooting higher and then skidding lower in the very last minutes of trading as some investors rushed to cash in profits after the market’s big advance.

Stocks rallied today as investors placed bets that a recovery in the financial and housing sectors is more likely to occur following the US government’s move to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Dow Jones industrials gained nearly 300 points.

Wall Street turned in a mixed performance today as investors set aside some initial enthusiasm over a stronger-than-expected jobs report to lock in some of Wall Street’s recent gains.

Wall Street managed a moderate gain in an erratic session as investors sorted through a downbeat Federal Reserve assessment of the economy and were also disappointed by a plan to bail out troubled bond insurer Ambac Financial Group Inc.