Metals miners also reached new highs in the quarter. Among them, Freeport- McMoran Copper & Gold helped boost the performance of the group after saying it expects to use extra cash flow over the next several years to benefit shareholders, either through increased dividend payments or stock buybacks. cheap cigarettes discount

Upbeat comments on makers of electric parts and equipment, such as Jabil Circuit and Power-One, helped make the group the quarter's third-best percentage gainer.  cheap cigarettes

Leading the quarter's declining groups, fixed-line communications companies retreated 13%, while the pharmaceutical group shed 8%, and household-product makers lost 5%. discount cigarettes buy cigarettes

Goldman Sachs cut its coverage view on the U.S. telecom sector last week, affecting stocks such as AT&T and Sprint, saying there is no good news to offset the quickening pace of people switching to wireless phones instead of fixed lines. dute free cigarettes

The second biggest decliner, pharmaceutical companies, include defensive names that might have suffered from investment rotation into more economically- sensitive issues. Analysts also noted drug-pipeline problems - which helped lead Schering-Plough to cut its dividend by two-thirds in August.

As for household-products makers, Newell Rubbermaid abetted the group's decline after canceling its October conference with analysts. Meanwhile, Tupperware slipped after saying it expects 2003 results will be well below plan. Cigarettes Store

Despite those losses and September's slump, the stock market moved higher in the last three months. cheap cigarettes discount online cigarettes marlboro cigarettes

Coming into Tuesday, the Dow rose 394.80, or 4.4%, in the third quarter, while the S&P 500 jumped 32.08, or 3.3%. cheap cigarettes discount buy cigarettes

But it was the tech-laden Nasdaq that led the stock market advance in the third quarter, with a rise of 201.76, or 12.4%, coming into Tuesday. buy cigarettes

Small stocks, as gauged by the Russell 2000, closely tracked technology issues, posting a solid gain of 44.36, or 9.9%, in the third quarter.

In late-morning trading, stocks have extended their losses on concerns about regional business activity and a drop in consumer confidence. Analysts said the session's declines also reflect the market's overbought condition following the summer advance and could set stocks up for a year-end rally.

"With this decline, a lot of pessimism will come into the market," Bittles said. "Fear is typically the beginning of a rally."