NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market got back on track in the second quarter.
After a bumpy start to the year, the Standard & Poor's 500 index resumed its upward climb in the March-June period. The index rose 4.7 percent, versus a 1.3 percent gain in the first three months of the year.
As the weather improved this spring, investors received more encouraging news about hiring and manufacturing. Investors sold stocks in January as they worried about the impact of an unusually harsh winter on the economy.
Stocks were also propelled higher by a turnaround in some of the riskier parts of the market. Internet, biotechnology and small-company stocks all rebounded after dragging the market lower in March.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.73 points on Monday, less than 0.1 percent, to 1,960.23, just two points from its record close of 1,962.87 set June 20.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 25.24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,826.60 and posted a gain of 2.4 percent in the quarter. The Nasdaq composite rose 10.25 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,408.18, rising 5 percent in the quarter.
Stocks flickered between small gains and losses on Monday, keeping major indexes close to record levels, as investors assessed the latest data on housing.