Stocks fell today as concerns about waning global demand sank shares of giants like IBM, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, and Alcoa, the Wall Street Journal reports. Citigroup bucked the trend on reports that a government takeover wouldn’t wipe out shareholders, and rose 11%. The Dow fell 250.89 to 7,114.78. The Nasdaq lost 53.51 to close at 1,387.72, and the S&P 500 fell 26.72, settling at 743.33—its lowest close since 1997. (More Dow Jones stories.)