Martha Stewart's Return to Work

An article in the New York Times (Feb. 27) discusses Martha Stewart's imminent return to her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, upon completion of her five-month term of imprisonment.  Stewart is scheduled to return to her office on March 7.  Her sentence includes five months of home confinement, and the terms of that portion of her sentence permit her to work at the company, where plans are in the works for a new daily program and an "Apprentice" show similar to the one starring Donald Trump.  A graphic with the NY Times story notes that the strong rise of her company's stock price since the sentencing last July means that Stewart's share have nearly quadrupled and are now worth a billion dollars.  That may be a first in American penal history, and you wonder whether this will be a situation similar to the Wall Street adage of "buy on the rumor, sell on the news." (ph)