Wall Street rises in early trading after Fed official signals a possible interest rate cut

Wall Street jumped in early trading Wednesday, driving the Dow Jones industrials up more than 100 points after a top Federal Reserve official hinted that the central bank may lower interest rates again.

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.

For investors, the possibility for lower rates seemed more compelling than persistent concerns about economic growth.

The …