*By Michael Teich* As we round out 2018, we’re reviewing the year's biggest letdowns for investors. To commemorate all the epic fails, we ranked the biggest flops ー the companies that enjoyed a booming 2017, but fizzled in 2018. **5. Activision:** Shares lost more than a quarter of their value in 2018 after surging 75 percent last year ー but most of the damage to the video game maker’s shares have come in the past three months. The stock tanked in early November when the company forecast fourth-quarter profit and revenue below estimates. Not only did the financial guidance disturb investors, but user base numbers raised additional concerns. Activision ($ATVI) said it had 345 million monthly active users in the quarter, down from 352 million at the end of the previous quarter. **4. Nvidia:** The company lost about 30 percent of its value this year after surging 81 percent in 2017. The sharp decline began in October and accelerated last month after the company missed on revenue and guidance in its quarterly earnings report. Nvidia’s ($NVDA) cryptocurrency mining products and its video game segment both slumped this year ー the company's gaming business segment brought in $1.76 billion in revenue for the quarter, below the $1.89 billion estimated by Factset. **3. Alibaba:** The Chinese e-commerce giant soared 96 percent in 2017, but has fallen over 20 percent this year. Macroeconomic issues in China as well as a regulatory crackdown by that company’s government have presented a burden for the tech giant. Analysts tempered their outlook for the company due to a softening on consumer spending and trade-war worries. Jack Ma, Alibaba’s ($BABA) founder and chairman, also announced this year he plans to vacate his post, adding another element of uncertainty to the company’s future. **2. Take-Two:** The gaming company saw its stock skyrocket 123 percent in 2017. This year, shares are down about 7 percent. The maker of popular games like "NBA 2K" and "Grand Theft Auto" might be down for the year, but has relatively held its own, given the broader market decline. Take-Two ($TTWO) upped its guidance for the fiscal year, thanks to optimism generated by its new "Red Dead Redemption 2" game. **1. Roku:** The TV streaming platform was up a whopping 270 percent in 2017, but the stock is down over 40 percent as of this month. The stock traded above $70 a share at the start of October, but has been in free fall since then. Roku ($ROKU) suffered a steep drop after missing expectations on its platform revenue ー it got off to a hot start after its IPO in September of 2017, jumping more than 50 percent in its trading debut.
