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Far Cry 3 And The Stranger In A Strange Land On Friday, shares of Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) were trading for $17.36 a share as of market closing. Then over the weekend EA made its bid for Take-Two public, releasing details of a proposed buyout at $US 26 a share to various news outlets including Kotaku, even going as far as to open a website dedicated to their proposal. Well surprise, surprise, this morning TTWO opened at $US 25.75 a share – 47% above the last closing. Shares are going fast too, with massive chunks being sold off at a time. Over the past 3 months the average trade volume for the stock has been around 1.8 million a day. As of this writing, 12.5 million shares have already changed hands. So what does this mean? Stockholders believe this buyout will happen. So do arbitrageurs – companies that buy up huge amounts of stock for the chance at making small yet high volume profits. In other words, these companies believe so strongly that the $US 26 a share offer will go through that they are willing to buy up huge amounts for the chance at making $US .25 profit a share. I dunno folks, this looks like it could very well happen. Hold me.
Sony’s shares are up by almost 5% from yesterday. And whaddya know, it’s mostly to do with Blu-Ray’s victory over HD-DVD yesterday. But it’s also because of the effect that victory will have on PS3 sales. With Blu-Ray now the only HD home video format on the market, it’s going to look a lot more attractive to consumers than it did while the “format war” was in full swing. And what’s the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market? Why, the PS3, of course. You…you don’t think Sony’s whole strategy with the machine has been leading up to this very moment all along, do you? Sony U.S. shares rise on PS3, Blu-ray optimism [Reuters]
Nintendo stock today dropped to a seven-month low as Japanese stock plummeted for a second day in reaction to contracting U.S. service industries and fear of a recession.
Nintendo fell 5.9 percent to 45,800 yen, the lowest it’s been since July 2 and Rohm Co, the maker of parts of the Wii’s controller, dropped 6.4 percent, heading for the lowest close it’s seen since January 1997. The Kyoto-based company yesterday lowered its annual net-income target by 25 percent for the year, which lead to Mizuho Securities Co. downgrading them to a hold from a buy.
Nintendo sold three times as many Wii in the U.S. as they did in Japan last quarter, seemingly tying the companies financial success to the U.S. economy.
Japan Stocks Fall as U.S. Services Contract; Nintendo Drops [Bloomberg]
Since the DS launched, it’s been the fashion amongst certain circles to invest in Nintendo. Invest heavily. Now, though, with global markets in a collective state of pants-wetting, those same people are jumping ship and selling their shares, worried that the sliding value of the US dollar against the Yen will impact on Nintendo’s earning capacity. Which will impact on their earning capacity. And they’re having none of it. End of the ride for Nintendo and their world-conquering ways, then? Analysts say no, so now would be a good time to pry open those purse-strings if you think you can make a buck or two off your fanboyism. Nintendo shares tumble despite stellar earnings [Reuters][Img]
Nintendo stock rebounded 6.3 percent, or 3,200 yen, after the U.S. Federal Reserve yesterday cut its benchmark interest rate.
The jump in Nintendo stock was part of a Japanese stock rebound spurred by the cut which came after the worst two-day drop in that stock in 17 years. Ironically the cut actually hurt Sony, which saw a 2.7 percent drop, spurring at least one investment group to change its rating on Sony from neutral to buy.
It’s pretty amazing to me to think that the Japanese economy, right now, seems to be running on a game engine and that it’s not even a next-gen one.
Japan’s Stocks Rebound After U.S. Federal Reserve Cuts Rate [Bloomberg]
Thanks to a shaky US economy, global stocks are taking a swan dive. Doesn’t affect you? Maybe not directly, but remember, platform holders and publishers are almost all publicly-held companies. And surely you care about them, at least in an impersonal, “oh, that’s a shame” kind of way. Anyways, in the wake of big falls in the US, Japanese and European markets, the following games companies have all lost a sizeable pile of cash: Ubisoft (down 11.5%), Sony (down 3.5%), Microsoft (down 3%), Take-Two (down 3%) and SCi (down 7.8%). Think of all those generic sequels and hardware colour variations, lost! Worldwide Stock Dive Hurts Publishers [1UP]
Thanks to a wee tumble on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, shares in three of Japan’s biggest gaming companies took a fairly sizeable slide yesterday. Sony (and yes, we have to take the company as a whole here) saw their share prices drop 6.6%, Konami’s fell 2.7% while Nintendo’s also took a hit, seeing a 4.5% decrease. This was mostly due to continuing problems on the US stock market, where all three companies have a lot of their business tied up (particularly Nintendo, who love to dabble in foreign currency). Consider this a public service announcement for those who’ve rushed out and bought up Nintendo stocks in the past twelve months. Sony, Nintendo see shares slump [GI.biz]
If you are interested in getting in on a little hot GameStop stock action and were waiting for a good time to sink some money into the company, between now and January 10th would be ideal, according to two industry analysts. Both Arvind Bhatia of Stern Agee and Leach, and Mike Hickey of Janco Partners believe that trends indicate a strong holiday earning period for the Texas-based company, and that means that purchasing before the company announces said earnings next week. Hickey said the GameStop’s holiday period typically represents 75 percent of Q4 reported sales, which means that “the street is looking for $US 2.027 billion in holiday sales, or +17 percent year-on-year.”
What it all boils down to is you, your family, your friends, and a ton of complete strangers bought a ton of gaming gear over the holiday season, and with GameStop games equals gains. While personally I limit my gambling to betting on whichever Super Bowl team has the most attractive uniforms, those so inclined may wish to partake while the partaking is palatable.
Analysts: Buy GameStop Shares Now [Next Gen]
Nintendo’s fiscal year may not end until March, but with the year the company’s been having chances are pretty good that the company could be announcing that they expect to do better than predicted in January. That’s what happened at the beginning of this year and if doesn’t happen again at the beginning of next year there’s a chance that investors could be a little ticked, according to an anonymous Nintendo Stock Blogger. It’s ironic that the companies success could lead investors to expect constant jumps in earnings.
Of course with record Wii sales, sell-outs around the country and rumors that the Wii may be about to take the top console spot you’d think an upward modification has to be in the cards. My money is on big financial news in the coming weeks.
Nintendo Stockowners Anxiously Await Announcement [Nintendo Stock]
http://nintendostock.blogspot.com/
Is Nintendo’s roller-coaster ride into the commercial stratosphere reaching its apex? Some people are beginning to think so. Nintendo shares have been on the up for years now, but in recent months have stalled, prompting investors to wonder whether their current market domination is as good as its going to get. Fund manager Yoshihisa Okamoto: People’s perception of the PS3 is improving from an underdog to something better, and part of the money that used to flow into Nintendo shares is now going to the Sony stock.
In other words, since the PS3 is now starting to win the punters over, the Wii won’t ever (least in the short-term) be in as dominant a position as it is now. What say you, raving-mad Nintendo fans? Is he right? Or will Christmas sales and Wii Fit keep Nintendo investors laughing madly at their bank balances right through 2008?
Nintendo shares stall after bull-run, Xmas eyed [Reuters][Image]
