Both the Dow and the S&P 500 have slipped to fresh session lows. The Nasdaq has also been pushed down a bit, but it still isn't yet back to its worst level of the day.

Industrial stocks have been resilient in the face of the broader market's backslide. Collectively they are still up 0.8%, which is double the S&P 500's gain.

Deere & Co. (DE 81.15, +2.11) has been a steady leader in the group today. It even set a new two-year high less than an hour ago.

In contrast, 3M (MMM 83.95, -2.93) has been one of the sector's worst laggards after the company reaffirmed its fiscal 2010 outlook, but issued a disappointing forecast for 2011.