Stocks drifted sideways on Monday, in what is likely to be a temporary pause in a sell-off brought on by growing fears of another economic downturn.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 1.06 points, or 0.01 percent, to end unofficially at 11,952.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added just 0.85 of a point, or 0.07 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,271.83. But the Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 4.04 points, or 0.15 percent, to close unofficially at 2,639.69.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)