New York  - Major US stock indices closed about even Monday to the end of the worst month for US markets in six years.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 10.2 per cent of its value over the month, its largest June retreat since 1930, at the depths of the crash during the Great Depression. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index plummeted 8.6 per cent in June.

Financial shares, which have led much of the decline throughout 2008, were down again Monday after JP Morgan Chase said that mortgage-backed securities would continue losing value in the face of the ongoing credit crisis. Lehman Brothers fell on speculation that it could be a takeover target.

The blue-chip Dow industrials edged up 3.5 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 11,350.01. The S&P 500 added 1.62 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 1,280. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was down 22.65 points, or 0.98 per cent, to 2,292.98.

The US currency climbed against the euro to 63.47 euro cents on Monday from 63.32 euro cents on Friday. The dollar fell against the Japanese currency to 106.1 yen from
106.14 yen on Friday.

Gold fell by 3 dollars to 928.30 dollars per fine ounce. (dpa)