DEC. 16, 2011 • Zynga Inc. got less a less enthusiastic investor response to its intial public offer than hoped. The Zynga IPO debuted at $10, the stock closed its first day of trading lower at $9.50. A high-profile technology IPO is usually expected to provide substantial early appreciation in stock value for early investors.

Impact: Opinion around whether Zynga is a good investment is all across the board.  In its first month, Zynga’s stock has looked more like Electronic Arts’ stock (NASDAQ:ERTS) from the 2004 to 2008 when it hovered between $50-60 before collapsing to its current position in the $20 range over the past three years.  This is a sign of push and pull among investors with some convinced that Zynga is overvalued and some that believe the company has major growth opportunity.  Clearly Zynga does need to profitably expand if it does not want to stagnate like an Electronic Arts.  By January 2012, the company was looking closer at new potential markets like online gambling.  If Zynga did go in this direction it would require investors to totally reassess the company.