Market recovers from concerns about Katrina Acquisition rumors stirred trading in eBay Inc., while new-product announcements lifted Apple Computer shares to record heights this week. A revamp of Microsoft’s midmarket business-product plans left traders fairly indifferent, meanwhile, as technology stocks and the broader market recovered somewhat from concerns about Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans last week.Rumors that eBay is in talks to acquire Skype Technologies, the Swedish provider of free VoIP services whose service has grown in popularity worldwide, knocked down the value of eBay shares (ticker symbol: EBAY) by $1.53 Thursday, to $38.93. The companies would not comment on the rumored talks, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, but industry watchers wondered whether the matchup would be positive for eBay.The move would be a way for eBay to diversify and expand its business model, but there is plenty of competition brewing in services related to VOIP. Microsoft, Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. have this year bought VOIP companies or announced voice services. Also, News Corp. (which on Thursday announced an acquisition of games company IGN Entertainment Inc. for about $650 million [m] in cash), Microsoft and Yahoo all reportedly have talked to Skype as well. So, the $2 billion [b] to $3 billion [b] eBay reportedly is ready to pay for Skype would be a steep price to enter an increasingly crowded market. Whether or not the acquisition comes off, analysts are for the most part positive about eBay, an Internet e-commerce leader. Of analysts surveyed by First Call, 16 counsel a strong buy or buy; 9 advise a hold; and only two are telling investors to sell the stock. Apple’s expected launch Wednesday of the ultra-thin iPod nano player and, with Motorola, of the Rokr phone music player helped send company shares to a new record. Earlier in the week, Apple’s share price soared on the expected news and hit a record, only to slump a bit on the day of the announcement, perhaps as some traders sold shares to rake in profits. But Thursday, one day after the official launch, investors shrugged off news that Sony Corp. was launching a new line of music players to challenge Apple: Apple shares (AAPL) closed Thursday at $49.07, up $1.07 for the day, and marking a new high for the company. Though some analysts have worries that demand for iPods will soften at some point, for now the company is basking in the glory of the launch of yet another hip product. No analysts are recommending a sell of the stock for the moment: 18 analysts advise a buy or strong buy, while six counsel a hold, according to First Call. For its part, Sony (SNE) closed Thursday at $35.50, down by $0.08.Microsoft, meanwhile, did not get much respect from traders this week for the launch of a revamped midmarket product strategy. Microsoft shares (MSFT) declined $0.15 to $26.85 Wednesday after the company, at its Business Summit, announced a road map to overhaul accounting products and a version of Office for small companies. The new accounting product — Office Small Business Accounting 2006 — goes directly up against Intuit Inc., the small-business market leader that Microsoft has never been able to usurp.Late Thursday, Intel (INTC) narrowed its forecast for third-quarter revenue, saying the quarter is shaping up pretty much as expected with strong demand for PCs in all regions of the world. Revenue will be between $9.8 billion [b] and $10 billion, [b] the company said. Overall this week, the Nasdaq composite index stabilized, after being thrown into turmoil by soaring oil prices and concerns that the aftermath of hurricane Katrina would damage the U.S. economy. The Nasdaq index, seen as a broad indicator for technology stocks, closed Thursday at 2166.03. Though it was down 6 points for the day, mainly due to a recovery in oil prices after a three-day slide, it nevertheless was up from the week-earlier close of 2,148. Technology Industry