NEW YORK CITY: US stocks Monday ended a quiet day essentially flat ahead of a two-day US Federal Reserve policy meeting that concludes Wednesday.
At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.86 points (0.01 percent) to 15,572.14.
The broad-based S&P 500 tacked on 2.49 (0.14 percent) at 1,762.26, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 3.23 (0.08 percent) to 3,940.68.
All three indices traded in a fairly narrow range throughout the session amid relatively little news.
However, investors were gearing up for Apple's after-market earnings release.
The Fed's Federal Open Market Committee kicks off a two-day monetary policy meeting Tuesday. Although the FOMC is expected to maintain its $85 billion a month asset-purchase program unchanged, investors will be watching for clues about when the pullback might begin.
Monday's bland trade was typical of days ahead of Fed meetings, said Michael Gayed, chief investment strategist at Pension Partners.
"This entire year has shown that nothing matters except (Fed Chairman) Ben Bernanke so everything is put on hold when you have a Fed meeting ahead," Gayed said.
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