U.S. stocks extended gains on Monday, pushing major indexes up 1 percent as investors snapped up shares of natural resource companies and banks after fresh data pointed to signs of economic stabilization.

* Market sentiment was underpinned by reassuring bank results from Europe, and the S&P 500 flirted with the key 1,000 level. Earlier it rose as high as 999.65, a nine-month high.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 82.76 points, or 0.90 percent, to 9,254.37. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 10.70 points, or 1.08 percent, to 998.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> added 17.08 points, or 0.86 percent, to 1,995.58.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)