As the stock option cloud over Apple Computer Inc. darkened, investors tried to determine Aug. 4 whether the company’s popular products are powerful enough to overcome the potential accounting and legal risks facing the maker of the iPod and the Macintosh.
The possibility that the improper handling of employee stock options might erase some of Apple’s past profits or, even worse, plunge its renowned CEO, Steve Jobs, into a legal morass spooked some investors. Apple shares fell as much as 6.7 percent during Aug. 4 trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market before rebounding to close at $68.30, down $1.29, or 1.9 percent.
