U.S. stocks held slight gains on Monday after a report showed a gauge of the U.S. economy's prospects rose more strongly than expected in March.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 22.00 points, or 0.20 percent, at 11,040.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 2.26 points, or 0.19 percent, at 1,194.39. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 2.45 points, or 0.10 percent, at 2,483.71.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)