Hospital Confirms Jobs Had Liver Transplant

Then shares slipped 2% in December when Apple said that Jobs would not speak as usual the next month at the annual Macworld conference, then bounced up 4% on Jan. 5 when Jobs explained his weight loss as a treatable hormone imbalance. They sank 7% a week later after Apple said he would be taking six months off because his medical problems were more complex than he initially thought.

Since then, Wall Street's whiplash has had time to heal, especially because Apple's stock has weathered the recession better than those of most of its competitors.

Apple put Tim Cook, its chief operating officer, at the helm during Jobs' absence.