Stocks turned lower in the final minutes of trading yesterday after a steep decline in Microsoft set off a broad sell-off in technology issues. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 21.83 points to 7,721.14, erasing its 52point gain from earlier in the session.

Broad-market indexes were mostly lower at the end of the trading session, with the biggest decline coming in the Nasdaq composite index which fell as technology stocks weakened.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a six-to-five margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,543 up, 1,289 down and 571 unchanged.

NYSE volume totalled 467.47 million shares, against 543.35 million in the previous session. The Standard and Poor's 500-stock list fell 4.14 at 919.77. The Nasdaq composite index fell 14.40 to 1,634.93, and the American Stock Exchange composite index rose 2.35 to 674.66.