STEVE INSKEEP, Host: Now if you want to make money right now, it is better to keep away from American cars and try online auctions instead. The latest financial report from eBay shows fourth quarter profits up sharply, partly because of high demand for videogame consoles that were sold out in stores. Those same games have been earning money for Nintendo, which reported a sharp increase in profits. Its goal is to expand its customer base beyond young men to include women and the elderly. So in Nintendo's ideal world, the 12-year-old boy can barely get ahold of the game because his mother and grandmother are in line ahead of him.
Profits at eBay rose 24 percent in the fourth quarter, approaching $350 million. The auction site credits high demand for new Sony and Nintendo video-game consoles consumers couldn't find in stores. Meanwhile, Nintendo reported that profits for the quarter rose nearly 40 percent, to nearly $1 billion.