The fear of higher interest rates returned to Wall Street yesterday, sending blue-chip stocks and bond prices sharply lower.

At the close of trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 143.74 at 10,765.64. Broader stock indicators also fell.

The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 21.59 to 1,312.93, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq composite index fell 48.98 to 2,475.23.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by an 8-to-5 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,826 up, 1,147 down and 605 unchanged.

The NYSE composite index fell 6.17 to 630.77, and the American Stock Exchange composite index fell 5.23 to 772.92.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 2.87 to 443.78.