MARTHA STEWART strolled outdoors with her dog and fed her horses yesterday morning, hours after returning from prison to the multi-million dollar estate where she will be under the watch of federal authorities while trying to revive her homemaking empire.

Another surge in oil prices and a sharp drop in consumer spending rattled US investors today, sending stocks lower and hitting the technology sector particularly hard.

Disappointing US job growth figures left stocks mixed after a volatile session today, with investors guessing whether the underlying economy was strong enough to warrant current share prices.