Apple Computer’s popular iTunes Music Store appears to be back to normal, three days after shoppers wielding new Christmas present iPods and gift cards faced error messages and long delays while trying to download songs.

SHARES of the Nasdaq Stock Market plunged to their lowest levels in over a month after the London Stock Exchange LSE.L urged shareholders to reject a £2.7 billion (€4.02bn) hostile bid from the largest US electronic stock market.

US stocks finished mostly lower today as a tepid outlook from Microsoft dampened Wall Street’s reaction to a rebound in first-quarter economic growth. The major indexes ended mixed both for the week and for April.

REACHING further into living rooms, Apple Computer has introduced a speaker system for its iPod music players and a revamped Mac Mini computer that will let users access music, video and photos across their home networks.

APPLE Computer, the maker of the iPod music player, had its share price target lifted 29% by Piper Jaffray & Co on expectations the company will keep gaining market share in music devices and personal computers.

US stocks posted their first noteworthy losses of 206 today as analyst downgrades of two Dow Jones industrials and rising oil prices prompted investors to take profits just one trading session after the major indexes reached new highs.

Stocks surged higher today after new data soothed inflation concerns and the price of oil tumbled to its lowest level in five months. The advance carried the Nasdaq composite index to a new 52-week high.

A surprisingly weak reading on the manufacturing sector sent US stocks mostly lower today as investors feared that the economy has indeed run into a soft patch.