US blue chips fell on Tuesday as consumer products company Procter & Gamble Co slipped on earnings worries tied to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But technology shares cut losses, helped by news that Finnish mobile-phone maker Nokia raised its quarterly sales and profit forecasts.
Electronic retailer Best Buy Co Inc slumped about 10 percent to $45.34, its biggest one-day drop since 2002, after it reported second-quarter profit that missed Wall Street expectations.
Best Buy was the top loser on the S&P 500 index and weighed on shares of rivals Circuit City Stores Inc, which fell 2.6 percent to $16.47, and RadioShack Corp, down 1 percent to $26.01.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.71 points, or 0.32 percent, at 10,648.23. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 3.84 points, or 0.31 percent, at 1,236.72. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was down 1.07 points, or 0.05 percent, at 2,181.76.