New York ? A spate of disappointments in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors triggered a broad selloff on Wall Street Tuesday, sending the Dow Jones industrials, Nasdaq composite and Standard & Poor’s 500 indexes to their lowest closes of the year and near the lows that followed the terrorist attacks.

The late-session drop wiped out what was a respectable rally, the second such pullback in as many days. Analysts said the defeat showed again how risk-averse investors have become although the corporate news Tuesday wasn’t particularly bad, investors decided they were better off selling and locking in whatever profits they might have had.

“People are still scared to make a bet on the future at this point,” said Rafael Tamargo, director of equity research at Wilmington Trust.

The Dow closed down 128.14, or 1.3 percent, at 9,517.26 after rising as much as 113 points earlier. The last time the Dow had a weaker finish was Nov. 5, when the blue chips stood at 9,441.03.

Broader stock indicators also retreated. The Nasdaq fell 33.51, or 2.2 percent, to 1,497.18. The last time the Nasdaq closed lower was Oct. 2 when it stood at 1,492.33.

The S&P lost 17.14, or 1.7 percent, to 1,013.60. The last time the S&P closed lower was Sept. 26, when it stood at 1,007.04.

Analysts say the market’s inability to hold any gains reflects the considerable doubt and uncertainty on Wall Street.

After two years of losses, many investors already were inclined to stay away. The combination of sluggish earnings, corporate bookkeeping scandals and terrorism fears has given them another excuse to do so. Tuesday’s pullback coincided with another suicide bombing attack in Israel.