U.S. stocks Monday closed out a lackluster first quarter with a sprint to the finish. In U.S. economic news, investors cheered a speech by Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Janet Yellen in which she maintained the central bank will support the economy "for some time to come." In international economic news, European markets closed mixed, following lower-than-expected eurozone inflation data. The weak number is likely to revive talk that the European Central Bank could act at its meeting Thursday to boost the economy. Asian markets ended mixed. The Shanghai Composite fell as investors wait for clarity from Beijing on possible new stimulus measures. The index has lost almost 4 percent this year on worries over slower economic growth in China. The dollar gained ground against the pound, but lost ground versus the euro and the yen. Light sweet crude oil for May delivery dropped 9 cents to $101.58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures lost $10.40 to $1,283.40 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 134.6, or 0.82 percent, to 16,457.66. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index moved up 14.72, or 0.79 percent, to 1,872.34. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 43.23, or 1.04 percent, to 4,198.99.
