WASHINGTON — Wall Street found some reasons for optimism today when the credit markets showed signs of easing and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared to open the door for further interest rate cuts.

U.S. stocks surged in early trading today as the credit markets showed signs of easing and after Bernanke’s statements. The Dow Jones industrials rose almost 2 percent and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index jumped 2.3 percent.

Dropping interest rates might induce consumers and businesses to boost their spending, an important ingredient to energize overall economic activity.

So far, though, a string of drastic actions by the Fed and the Bush administration has yet to turn around a bunker mentality.

One-third of Americans are worried about losing their jobs, half fret they will be unable to keep up with mortgage and credit card payments, and seven in 10 are anxious that their stocks and retirement investments are losing value, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll of likely voters released today.