After tumultuous trading in early 2016, two of the three major U.S. averages clawed back to finish the first quarter in the green.



At one point in the quarter, the major indexes plunged more than 11 percent from the start of the year. They rebounded, though, and enjoyed particularly strong runs in March.

The Dow Jones industrial average saw its biggest quarterly comeback since 1933.

The and the Dow both rose for the second-straight quarter, finishing 0.8 and 1.5 percent higher, respectively. The S&P enjoyed gains of 6.6 percent in March, while the Dow climbed 7.1 percent for the month.

The Nasdaq, meanwhile, had its first negative first quarter since 2009, falling 2.8 percent. But the index also recovered in March, rising 6.8 percent.

Early volatility drove investors to gold, and the metal posted its best quarter in about 30 years. Gold prices rose 16.5 percent in the first quarter.