The Dow industrials dipped while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose slightly on Tuesday as a broker's downgrade of semiconductors offset deal news that bolstered views the economy was on the mend.

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 17.53 points, or 0.18 percent, to end unofficially at 9,771.91. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 2.53 points, or 0.24 percent, to close unofficially at 1,045.41. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 8.12 points, or 0.40 percent, to finish unofficially at 2,057.32.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)