After a sharp sell-off overnight in Asia, markets staged a recovery on Wednesday as investors shook off the shock of a Donald J. Trump presidency and began to focus on whether his mix of policies could spur a still-fragile global economic recovery.

Futures for the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index initially plunged 5 percent but recouped nearly all their losses when stocks started trading in the United States. The major market indicators ended the day up more than 1 percent.

By their nature, markets are wired to look beyond the moment and into the future. In that regard, the bounce-back in stocks reflects the bet being made by many investors that Mr. Trump’s promises to increase government spending, cut taxes and ease financial regulations will outweigh his anti-trade rhetoric.

To that end, stocks that would benefit from more robust economic growth, like banks and companies tied to infrastructure and transportation, were in demand on Wednesday. Shares of Bank of America closed up 5.7 percent. The equipment rental company United Rentals ended up 17 percent.