As other financial writers have reported, Apple had quite a jolly Christmas season at the end of 2007, with not just one of the best quarters in its history, but the best quarter in the company's 32-year history. Apple's earnings were up a whopping 58%, which, in any other year, would make it one of the hot stocks to watch, but even Apple's good news didn't buck up a market in the doldrums, edging towards panic. According an article posted on the MacDailyNews website, "the company’s conservative projections for the next three months seems to have spooked investors attuned for signs of a coming recession. Apple’s shares, having closed at 155.64, down 3.5% for the day, plunged more than 12% in after-hours trading. At one point the stock hit 136.75, a four-month low." Now, with earnings like Apple posted, you'd think it would be one of the hot stocks to watch, but current stock investment research seems to be focused less on stocks and more on bonds. And many investors seem to be fleeing to the commodities markets right now, especially gold, cereals, and oil.
