Blue-Chip Stocks Take A Hefty Hit

Blue-chip stocks tumbled Wednesday amid worries about rising interest rates, while a rash of attacks on leading Web sites deflated the high-flying technology sector.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 258.44.

The Dow’s losses were broad-based, with American Express, Citigroup and Home Depot all dropping on concerns that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates this year, potentially threatening corporate profits.

The Fed has raised short-term interest rates four times since June 1999 in an effort to slow the economy enough to keep inflation under control.