Wall Street rebounded on Tuesday in spite of a worsening crisis of confidence in the global banking system, as leaders of the US Congress moved to try to salvage the Bush administration’s $700bn (£385bn) bail-out plan.

A proposal to increase the ceiling for government insurance on bank deposits to $250,000 emerged as the best hope of swaying reluctant Republicans and Democrats who voted against the bill on Monday. The Senate agreed late Tuesday to vote on a revised bail-out measure on Wednesday night.