US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-S&P 500, Nasdaq up on deal news; Dow slips

NEW YORK, Nov 3 (Reuters) - 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)