Stocks fell on Tuesday as an unexpected drop in consumer confidence dented optimism about an economic recovery, but the S&P 500 still closed out its best quarter in more than a decade.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 82.38 points, or 0.97 percent, to close unofficially at 8,447.00. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 7.91 points, or 0.85 percent, to end unofficially at 919.32. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 9.02 points, or 0.49 percent, to

finish unofficially at 1,835.04.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)