SP 500 extends quarterly win streak NEW YORK (M

S&P 500 extends quarterly win streak
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) – The U.S. stock market closed higher on Monday, while quarterly performance for the main indexes was mixed. On Monday, investors welcomed the news that the European Central Bank may start quantitative easing to address the threat of deflation in the euro-zone. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen’s comments about the state of the economy and monetary policy propped up indexes further. The S&P 500 SPX +0.79% ended the day 8.41 points, or 0.5%, higher at 1,872.34, and recorded a 0.7% gain for the month. The benchmark index extended its quarterly winning streak, gaining 1.3% over the past three months. The Nasdaq Composite COMP +1.04% finished the day up 43.24 points, or 1% at 4,198.99. The tech-heavy index is down 2.5% for the month, its worst performance since Oct 2012, but still managed to eke out a 0.5% quarterly gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +0.83% closed up 134.60 points, or 0.8%, at 16,457.66 and is 0.8% higher on the month. However, the blue-chip index lost 0.7% over the past quarter.