Executive Business Briefing -- Stocks closed lower in a hum-drum session with technology issues hit the hardest. The Dow Jones industrials were down over 20 points at 10, 867. Standard and Poor's 500-stock index was off over 5 points at just under 1339. The New York Exchange composite index was down a fraction at just under 640. Advancers had a 17-to-12 margin over decliners on volume of 747 million shares. Among the most active stocks: America On Line off 5 1-4...Compaq Computer off 7-16...Cendant Corporation up 7-8...AT&T up 5-8...Cadence Design up 1 1-8. The Nasdaq was lower, but the American Exchange was higher. The 30-year Treasury bond fell 12/32 to 91 27/32. The yield rose to 5.83 percent. -- The dollar closed at 124.25 against the Yen...and 1.0625 against the Euro. -- On the New York Comex, June gold closed up $1.20 at $274.70. -- The Comex closed May silver up over 2-cents at $5.28. -- The chairman of Nationwide Insurance has decided it's time for a change. He's announced a new corporate brand identity and the company's first national advertising campaign. Various units will also be re- named. Chairman Dimon NcFerson says companies that don't change, don't survive. -- General Motors has chosen a site in White Marsh, Maryland, for its new automatic transmission plant. Groundbreaking for the 400,000 square foot facility is set tentatively for this summer. The governor of Maryland said it's the first modern manufacturing plant to locate in the state in almost 30 years. -- It's one of your more unusual recalls. Rawlings Sporting Goods is calling back 45,000 aluminum bats designed for slow-pitch softball. The tops of the bats are reportedly breaking off during play. So far, no injuries reported. The recall does not involve aluminum bats that Rawlings makes for baseball or fast-pitch softball. -- Market statistics at 4:25 p.m. Eastern time: DJIA 10867.0 off 20.3 NYSE Composite Index 639.42 off 0.12 S&P 500 Index 1338.83 off 5.40 AMEX Composite Index 792.03 up 3.67 NMS Composite Index 1154.16 off 16.07 NASDAQ Composite Index 2542.36 off 35.04 --  