Stocks ended little changed on Monday as investors paused to gauge prospects for the U.S. economic recovery and interest rates after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy faced formidable headwinds.

* Financials, technology and energy shares finished in the red, but their losses were offset by a run-up in some defensive sectors, including telecoms and utilities.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 1.21 points, or 0.01 percent, at 10,390.11, according to the latest available figures. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 2.73 points, or 0.25 percent, at 1,103.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 4.74 points, or 0.22 percent, at 2,189.61.

Ben Bernanke