Apple’s stock has taken a dive recently. There’s been no bad news from the company. To the contrary, according to their most recent financial reports, they’re one of the best-performing corporations on the planet. What’s driving the dive are rumosr and fear.

Anyone familiar with the stock market knows the story: You buy on the rumor, sell on the news.

Or is that buy on the news and sell on the rumor?

Whatever.

The news from Apple is good. Sales are up. The company is flush with cash. They’ve hired the best and the brightest. Apple continues to amaze the world with its innovative products and cutting edge technology. It’s stock has nowhere to go but up.

Yet, the stock is down nearly 8 percent from it’s recent high of 368. It closed yesterday afternoon (February 22, 2011) at 338.61.

The rumors involve the iPad 2 and Steve Jobs.

You can brush up on your iPad 2 rumors at the MacRumors web site. Short story: The rumor with the iPad 2 is that there are shipping delays. The latest is two months.

OMG! Two months! What will the fanboys do? Buy the XOOM? Sheesh. That’s just terrible! Sell the stock, Mortimer! Sell! Sell! Sell!

The 8 percent dip in the stock price is more likely due to rumors about Steve Jobs’ health.

Let me break it to you: One day, and a very sad day at that, Steve Jobs will die. It could be 40 years from now, but due to his poor health, it will most likely be sooner. Jobs’ impending doom is what’s driving the stock price down.

Being worth a few billion dollars, my guess is that Mr. Jobs is getting the best health care in the world. Being ingenious, my guess is that Mr. Jobs continues to contribute to the intellectual wealth of Apple. Being a businessman, my guess is that Mr. Jobs has planned out details for Apple well beyond any unfortunate demise.

Apple is in good hands. That’s a fact.

What’s not a fact are rumors, and the rumors are that Jobs is going to drop dead any moment and that Apple will teeter out of control like a wildly spinning top on the deck of some storm-tossed ship at sea.

Fear! Doom! Peril!

No, not really. A lower stock price for Apple is a buying opportunity.

Apple stock isn’t cheap. Money these days isn’t plentiful. But if you have some money laying about (after all, those commercials on TV imply that you have “scrap gold”), then consider buying Apple stock while it’s “on sale.”

Don’t buy today. Wait until the news gets really terrible. If, for instance, Mr. Jobs got hit by a bus on his way to Starbucks, I think Apple’s stock would drop 60 points. That would be my definition of “on sale.” At that point, you buy and hang on. You and your money will do well.

Apple is a good company. I wish Mr. Jobs good health and a long life. If others are going to be silly and drive Apple’s stock price down, be wise and take advantage.