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Stocks close volatile quarter mixed: S&P up, Dow down

David Carrig
USA TODAY
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Stocks tumbled Tuesday and gave back some of the gains from the previous two sessions as Wall Street closed out a volatile first quarter with mixed results.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 18.35 points, or 0.9%, to close at 2067.89 as it managed to hang on to a modest gain of 0.4% for the quarter. The broad-based index has now posted gains for 9 consecutive quarters, its longest quarterly winning streak in 17 years.

The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 200.19 points, or 1.1%, to 17,776.12, posting a 0.3% loss for the quarter as it fell back into negative territory for the year.

The Nasdaq composite index dropped 46.56 points, or 0.9%, to 4900.80. The tech-heavy index was the quarter's best performer with a 3.5% gain. That is the Nasdaq's 9th straight quarterly gain and its longest quarterly winning streak in its history, according to Schaeffer's Investment Research.

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The volatile first quarter saw the major indexes bounce in and out of positive territory. In March alone, the Dow posted triple digit moves up or down in 16 of the month's 22 trading sessions.

Stocks have faced pressure from a rising dollar, falling oil prices and uncertainty about the timing of an expected interest hike from the Federal Reserve.

Oil prices fell Tuesday as benchmark U.S. crude lost $1.08 to close out the quarter at $47.60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Overseas, Asian markets were mixed. Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 1% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.2%. The Shanghai Composite fell 1%.

European shares were lower Tuesday as Britain's FTSE 100 tumbled 1.7% and Germany's DAX index dropped 1%.

Contributing: Adam Shell

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