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5 Stocks to Watch This Week

With Apple, Ford, Nintendo, Zynga and Amazon getting ready to report, let's go over a few of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street.

5 Big Winners and Losers of the Week in Business

This week's interesting tidbits from the business world include a plucky upstart cashing in on a banned Super Bowl ad, and a misguided analyst's too-clever case for upgrading a faltering retailer. Here are our five favorite winners and losers.

U.S. Stock Prices Dip Ahead of Earnings Season Kickoff

U.S. stocks fell Tuesday as traders awaited the start of the corporate earnings season. Market-watchers expect the quarter's results could include many surprises because of events like Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and the narrowly avoided "fiscal cliff."

5 Things You Should Watch in the Stock Market This Week

Internet radio giant Pandora and giant discounter Big Lots report their earnings; in entertainment, Disney is opening a huge new expansion, while Nintendo is thinking small; and some companies just can give money away fast enough -- as dividends.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Schools Nintendo Wii U in the Sales Game

Nintendo has sold 400,000 Wii U consoles since the system's Nov. 18 launch, plus another 300,000 original Wii units last week. But Microsoft is still the gaming king: Its Xbox 360 outsold both systems combined, moving 750,000 consoles during the Black Friday holiday weekend.

Nintendo's Wii U Makes a Crummy First Impression

Buying a new Nintendo Wii U gaming system hasn't been that hard. Getting it to work properly once you own it ... that's been another story. In a rush to get the Wii U out in time for the holiday shopping season, Nintendo shipped it with an issue that's causing big headaches.

Will Nintendo's New Touchpad Controller Win Back Gamers?

Ahead of the E3 conference, Nintendo has unveiled a new controller that it hopes will revolutionize the way video games are played: the Wii U GamePad, with both traditional controls and a touchscreen. Can it revive Nintendo's fortunes?

The Company That Inspired Steve Jobs Is Stumbling

In his youth, Steve Jobs, Apple's iconic leader, drew inspiration from Sony, a company that dominated the consumer electronics game for years. But now that Apple is the new Sony, where does that leave Sony?

3 Ways the Video Game Business Could Bounce Back

Folks aren't buying video games the way they used to -- and that's a problem for the industry. But if the big players are willing to consider some outrageous strategies, they can buy themselves some bonus lives.

Retailers Shouldn't Expect Much Holiday Cheer

The holiday shopping season is looking pretty bleak for retailers. Best Buy recently announced that it plans to hire fewer holiday workers than it did last year, and now new data from the consumer research group NPD suggests that Best Buy won't be the only chain stuck in a holiday sales rut.

Analysts: Santa's Bag Will Be Filled With Bargains

Consumers can expect a holiday shopping season heavy on promotional offers as stores offer sweet bargains on all manner of products amid a still-sluggish economy -- good news for buyers of tablet computers, smartphones and video games, all predicted to be big gift items this year.

What to Watch Next Week on Wall St.

Next week is going to be as eventful as ever on Wall Street. Watch for angry activist investors, gaming unveilings, and big brands being humbled by the numbers they have to report. Here are some of the items that will help shape the week.

Why Nintendo Will Never Be Great Again

Once upon a time, Nintendo was king of the video game consoles, but that day is long gone. Shares of Nintendo hit a five-year low this summer, wiping away any gains from the Wii era, and it took a steep operating loss to boot last quarter. Here's why there are no bonus lives in its future.

What Was Wall St. Thinking (Last Week)?

Wall St. was at it again last week, providing massive fodder for second-guessers and armchair CEOs. In this installment, we review trouble for non-Apple tablets, a get-rich-quick scheme from ailing Beazer Homes, bad numbers from Quepasa.com, and a shakeup at WalMart.com.

Is 3-D Video Hurting Our Eyes ... Or Saving Them?

It sometimes seems like everything that's fun is also a potential threat to your health, so it's hardly surprising that 3-D movies, games and TVs have drawn fire from critics who worry that they could cause long-term eye damage. But eye care professionals say that the reverse may be true.

Nintendo Slashes Wii Price by 25%

Nintendo is making a major push to clear out its Wii inventory as it gears up to unveil its successor to the gaming system next month. The company will cut prices on the Wii video game console to $149.99 from $199.99, and bundle four of its more popular games as a $19.99 set.

Nintendo to Unveil Wii Update in June, But at What Price?

Under pressure to respond to competitors offering souped-up features for their video game systems, Nintendo announced Monday that it will offer a sneak peak of the Wii's successor in June. While consumers may love the shiny new system, the real question is how much it will cost.

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.

Asian Markets Slide as Oil Passes $100

Asian markets closed lower Wednesday as investors focused on rapidly rising oil prices, which broke the $100-per-barrel mark in response to growing tensions in the Middle East. In Japan the Nikkei 225 Index slid 2.4%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.5%, and China's Shanghai Composite Index edged down 0.2%.

Asian Shares Climb, HSBC Snags Pre-Earnings Report Gains

In Hong Kong HSBC shares rose 1.5% before the company's announcement early today in London that it had missed earnings estimates. The gain helped push the Hang Seng Index up 1.4.% In China the Shanghai Composite advanced 0.9% and in Japan the Nikkei 225 Index added 0.9%.

Property Developers Get Chinese New Year Blues, Hang Seng Slides

There are warning signs that Hong Kong property prices have hit their peak, and today real estate firms dragged the Hang Seng index lower. Despite the drum beats of the lion dancers specially booked to celebrate Chinese New Year and "guaranteed" to bring prosperity to every business they visit, this year may prove a tough one for Hong Kong developers.

Chinese Inflation Drags Asian Shares Lower

Asian markets plunged Thursday. In China the Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 2.9% to 2,678 and in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index fell 1.7% to 24,004. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index lost 1.1% to end the day at 10,437.

Xbox Shortages May Run Through February

Microsoft sold out of its Xbox video-game console in late December thanks to strong holiday-season demand, and may have product shortages in January and February as well, as the company's Kinect motion-sensor device has boosted the popularity of the system, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

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.

Will Microsoft Kinect Topple the Nintendo Wii?

How long can Nintendo Wii maintain its position as the reigning video-game console? Microsoft shipped an astronomical 8 million Kinect game systems in the past two months, undermining Wii's leadership -- already weakened by competition from the Xbox and PlayStation 3.