The S&P 500 rose slightly on Tuesday as investors hunted for bargains a day after a steep sell-off, while the Nasdaq was flat and another delay for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner kept the Dow in the red.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 16.10 points, or 0.19 percent, to close unofficially at 8,322.91. But the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 2.06 points, or 0.23 percent, to finish unofficially at 895.10. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 1.27 points, or 0.07 percent, to end unofficially at 1,764.92.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)