The companies surveyed, however, also expect the index to dip to 8 in three months.

This index dipped as low as 1,251 on Sept. 5.

At the Big Board, where 708 issues rose and 917 declined, the composite index dipped 0.95, to 212.26.

The Standard & Poor's index of 500 stocks dipped by 0.69 point, to 448.07.

On Monday, however, the index dipped below 18,000 for the first time since Sept. 16.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index dipped 4.35 points, or 0.30 percent, to close at 1,451.19.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index dipped 2.17 points, to 459.43.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index dipped 5.31 points, to end at 1,154.05.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index dipped 0.07 point, to 917.80.

But the Nasdaq system's composite index dipped by 0.20, to 721.36.