5 Winners and Losers of the Week in Business
Among the wins and losses in business this week: the well-timed announcement of a bar-raising new cruise ship and a painful computer failure at a major airline.
Electronic Arts
Bullishness from 2 Investment Banks; Lululemon Recall
Goldman Sachs expects the S&P index to hit 1625 this year, and Morgan Stanley (MS) raised its target to 1600. Both had been pretty bearish on the market. The S&P closed yesterday at 1552.
Does Sandy Hook Shooting Spell Game Over for Violent Video Game Stocks?
Last week was rough for owners of video game stocks. A bill was introduced in Congress that directs federal agencies to study the influence of violent video games on children. Gamemakers obviously weren't too happy about that: Intense combat games have proven to be the battered industry's biggest hits lately.
Why Electronic Arts Will Never Be Great Again
This should be a good time for Electronic Arts: Madden NFL 13 and The Simpsons: Tapped Out are selling well, FIFA 13 and Battlefield 3 are expected to be big winners, and digital revenue is up 40%. But the outlook for the video game developer and publisher is actually problematic.
Siruis XM Satellite Radio Turns Up the Volume for Investors
Hurricane Sandy may have closed the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, and possibly longer, but trading will continue on the Big Board electronically, and that means there's still stocks worth watching: Sirius XM Radio, for example.
Wall Street Watch Tuesday: Zynga Gets Lucky
Zynga's stock has shed more than two thirds of its value since the company went public at $10 just nine months ago, but now the online gamemaker is in the news for something that may actually be good.
Can Madden NFL 13 Save the Video Game Industry?
It's time to begin tossing around the virtual pigskin again. Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 13 hit stores on Tuesday. In an industry that has suffered three years of brutal declines, its a rare cause for a celebration -- and the industry doesn't want you to forget it.
Living Classics: Can Amazon's New Game Save Social Gaming?
Social gaming on Facebook was the Next Big Thing last year. This year? Not so much. Online gaming powerhouse Zynga saw its numbers stumble in the second quarter. Yet Amazon.com is entering the business anyway.
Disney Unveils Some Welcome Surprises for Investors
It was another happy quarter for Disney: The family entertainment giant delivered $9.6 billion in revenue, 6% ahead of where it was a year earlier, and beat analysts' targets. But let's check out the real hidden gems in Disney's earnings report.
What to Watch this Week: Electric Cars, Earnings and Eccentrics
What will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street? Video game companies will let us know the score; satellite TV providers will give us a signal; Tesla and Priceline are traveling forward; and Johnny Depp and Tim Burton could put some teeth in the year's box office numbers.
The Worst Company in America: It's Not a Bank or a Retailer
After a March Madness-like five-round poll, the Consumerist.com voters have picked the worst company in the country. And you may be surprised by which one beat out such hated corporate heavyweights as Bank of America, AT&T and Walmart.
Why Zynga Will Never Be Great Again
Zynga is the undisputed king of social gaming for Facebook and smartphones, and its stock price gives it a market cap nearly as big as video game leader Activision Blizzard. But at less than 5 years old, has the bulldog already jumped the shark?
5 Reasons You're Not Buying Video Games Anymore
The latest news on the video game front isn't pretty. Media tracker NPD Group's data reveals that industry sales plunged 21% last month. It's clear that the industry is undergoing a radical shift, but for investors, the more important issue is why.
Zynga's $10 Billion IPO Game: Should You Play?
If you're not familiar with Zynga, the undisputed champ of social gaming, odds are that you're not a fixture on Facebook or into smartphone app gaming. This month, it rolls the dice on a big public offering. Are you game?
'Second Life' Inventors Expanding Gaming Universe
In August, the Second Life community learned that the company responsible for their virtual world was planning to expand its universe. Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble has been vague, mentioning only that his company is working on a new mobile product separate from its pioneering project. Now we know more.
5 Things To Watch Next Week: Murdoch Mania, Soda Wars and More
Even as investors reel from the stock-market roller coaster this week, Wall Street is moving on, with plenty of news on the way. Next week will bring headlines about retail and gaming earnings, as well as quarterly reports from News Corp., SodaStream and some newly public Chinese firms.
Electronic Arts Launches 3-Day Preview Play
Electronic Arts is debuting EA SPORTS Season Ticket, an online subscription program that gives gamers a three-day jump on new sports titles, before they hit the stores. The hope is that a trial period will increase purchases, but some analysts are dubious.
Next Week's Big News: Cable TV, China.com, More
Plenty of big names are set to report their earnings in August, including the country's largest cable and satellite television providers, several of China's leading dot-coms, radio giant Sirius XM, car rental companies Zipcar and Avis, and the two biggest video game developers.
'Ask the Expert': Netflix Price Hike, More 'Angry Birds'?
We encourage you to "Ask the Expert" ... Stock-, investment- and market-related questions are pouring in ... So, we're chasing down people on the front-lines, including Chris Hill of Motley Fool. He's a straight-talker, the irreverent host of the nationally syndicated Motley Fool radio show and we...
Video Game Sales Are Down: Are Apps to Blame?
A research firm that tracks video game sales reported that March hardware sales rose, but software sales plunged again. NPD claims that 23% of software sales in 2010 came from apps, but the industry isn't sure that its lagging sales figures can be entirely blamed on apps like Angry Birds.
New Tiger Woods Video Game Sets Sales Record
Tiger Woods may not have won a PGA tournament in nearly two years, and his last attempt to take home a green jacket from the Masters was a bust, but the virtual Tiger is on a roll: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters has broken all sales records for the Electronic Arts franchise.
Should Investors Be Wary of Wall Street Bets Against Tech?
The short interest in some major technology stocks has increased sharply in recent weeks. The short sellers' view may make sense since these companies have helped drive the NASDAQ recovery.
Electronic Arts Posts 3Q Loss, But Adjusted Earnings Solid
Electronic Arts says its fiscal third-quarter net loss widened as revenue fell, but adjusted results surpassed Wall Street's expectations -- and an optimistic outlook and stock buyback plan helped push its shares higher.
Activision Sues Video-Game Rival Electronic Arts Over Alleged Poaching
Activision Blizzard has added video-game competitor Electronic Arts to its $400 million countersuit against two former executives of "Call of Duty" creator Infinity Ward, claiming that EA tried to lure the executives away while they were still under contract with Activision.
More Downloads, Fewer Discs: U.S. Video Game Sales Remain Flat
U.S. gamers spent about the same amount of money on video games last year as they did in 2009, even as sales of consoles and other hardware took a plunge. Purchases of physical game discs slid 5%, in spite of the record-breaking success of "Call of Duty: Black Ops," but downloadable and social-network games made up the difference.
Online Video-Game Pirates Outgun the Publishers
At least 5.2 million copies of Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Black Ops were illegally downloaded between its Nov. 9 release and the end of 2010. All told, more than 19 million people illegally downloaded five of the top-selling games of 2010. As broadband spreads, so does the piracy.
How Big Video-Game Studios Might Win on Smartphones
Keep an eye on Falcon Gunner, a new breed of "augmented reality" game. It's far more sophisticated than a typical iPhone game, but still far cheaper than a console game. And that could give major game makers a much-needed opening.
Retail Video-Game Console Sales Plunge 26% in October
Stores sold 4% less video-game equipment -- including hardware, software and accessories -- in October compared to a year ago, according to research firm NPD Group. While players are spending more on the games themselves, they aren't shelling out for new consoles: Sales of those systems declined significantly.
