Investor snapshot: Stocks mixed at week's end

Game concerns continued to show mixed activity on Friday, capping a week of near-record highs for some--and a record low for one particulary battered stock, Eidos. Shares in Eidos (EIDSY) fell sharply again today, down 11 cents to just 66 cents. That's a drop of some 14.3 percent. The company has lost nearly 50 percent of its share value since Monday; yesterday the Brit-based publisher reported bad news for investors and game fans.

Eidos was not the only game company slinking south. Shares in Electronic Arts (ERTS) fell 81 cents, closing at $67.68. EA's shares have been on the retreat since hitting a closing high Wednesday of $68.46. Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) shares lost 57 cents to close at $40.17, similarly retreating from a midweek intraday high near $41.50.

Vivendi Universal shares were down 10 cents at $31.57 Friday, while shares in Atari (ATAR) and GameStop Corp. (GME) shed less than a dime. Konami (KNM) shares remained unchanged for the second day in a row.

Electronics Boutique (ELBO) was among today's advancers, its shares gaining 94 cents to close at $39.49. THQ Inc. (THQI) shares rose 81 cents to $29.60 at the closing bell, while shares in Activision (ATVI) climbed 33 cents to $22.98. Jamdat Mobile (JMDT) shares finished 29 cents higher at $17.03, and shares in Midway (MWY) bumped up 19 cents, closing at $10.18.

In the Japanese markets, shares in Nintendo fell 40 yen (38 cents) to 11,660 yen ($112.05) Friday. Ubisoft shares, traded on the Paris Stock Exchange, gained .10 euros (13 cents), closing at 31.98 euros ($43.06).

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped again today, losing 77.15 points to close at 10,774.36. The Nasdaq Composite fell 18.12 points to 2,041.60, while the S&P 500 closed 9.17 points lower at 1,200.08. Despite raising the bottom end of its first-quarter sales forecast from $8.8 billion to $9.2 billion, Intel's shares declined 3.1 percent on the US markets. Hewlett-Packard was also down for the day.

In the foreign markets...
In Europe, Intel's announcement boosted shares in chip companies like Germany's Infineon Technologies, STMicroelectronics, and Netherlands-based ASML Holdings. Overall, the European markets finished higher Friday after a run of losses earlier in the week. In Asia, the Nikkei 225 Stock Index, South Korea's Kospi index, and Taiwan's Taiex finished higher Friday, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell .2 percent. Intel also strengthened shares in Asian chip companies--both Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor rose more than 3 percent.