Investor snapshot: EA falls below $50

Nearly all game-sector stocks finished lower Wednesday as the Dow dropped more than 100 points. THQ Inc. (THQI) shares tumbled 86 cents to close at $28.08. Electronic Arts (ERTS) was right behind, its shares falling 79 cents to $49.64--the first time the company's stock has finished below $50 since December 1, 2004. Shares in Jamdat Mobile (JMDT) finished 73 cents lower at $17.52, and Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) shares traded 64 cents lower at $25.80.

Electronics Boutique (ELBO) shares shed 46 cents, closing at $42.64, and shares in rival retailer GameStop Corp. (GME) closed 43 cents lower at $21.52. Shares in Activision (ATVI) lost 28 cents to close at $15.61. Midway (MWY) shares traded 23 cents lower at $10.17, and shares in Vivendi Universal (V) fell 23 cents to $30.96 at the closing bell. Shares in Atari (ATAR) closed 10 cents lower at $2.75. Konami (KNM) shares were unchanged.

Just one game industry stock was in the black Wednesday. Eidos (EIDSY) shares gained 3 cents, closing at $1.35. The British publisher yesterday unveiled the Web site for its forthcoming game, Tomb Raider: Legend, as SCi Entertainment continued its effort to buy it.

On the Paris exchange, shares in Ubisoft spiked .85 euros ($1.10) to close at 32.72 euros ($42.26) Wednesday. Nintendo shares rose 10 yen (9 cents) to 12,190 yen ($113.57) on the Japanese market.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 104.04 points to close at 10,403.93. The Nasdaq Composite fell 31.03 points to 1,974.37, and the S&P 500 closed 13.97 points lower at 1,173.79. CBS Marketwatch attributed the losses to a Commerce Department report, which found that March retail sales rose .3 percent, primarily on the strength of auto sales and increased gas prices. Economists polled by the news outlet had predicted an increase closer to .7 percent.

Other tech companies suffered Wednesday, including Foundry Networks, Compuware Corp., and semiconductor manufacturer ASML Holding. Shares in all three tumbled today following disappointing sales and earnings figures.