Stocks pared losses on Monday and the Nasdaq turned positive buoyed by gains in large-cap technology companies including Cisco Systems Inc.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 15.21 points, or 0.15 percent, to 10,287.94. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 1.37 points, or 0.13 percent, to 1,077.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 6.53 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,180.01.

Stocks cut their losses despite a report showed U.S. home builder sentiment fell unexpectedly for a third straight month in August to its lowest level since March 2009.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)