Flat Day

Stocks spent most of Monday in a funk brought on by cautious comments about the economy from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Hopes for a compromise on extending Bush-era tax cuts and unemployment benefits erased some of the losses. The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 20 points, breaking a three-day winning streak. Stock indexes traded in a tight range all day and volume was light. Stocks began the day on a sour note after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economic recovery is still struggling to become "self-sustaining" without government help. Treasury prices rose as investors put money into less risky assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite to its price, fell to 2.95 percent from 3.00 percent late Friday. That yield helps set interest rates on many kinds of loans including mortgages. Gold for February delivery added $9.90 to settle at $1,416.10 an ounce. Silver gained 46.40 cents to settle at $29.735 an ounce.The dollar rose 0.4 percent against an index of six other currencies.