Premarket roundup: Video games, oil companies

Among the premarket activity stories for Friday, Sept. 12, from AP Financial News:.

NEW YORK (AP) _ For the first time in more than two years, data from market researcher NPD group showed that U.S. video game sales growth slowed to the single digits.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Oil and gas companies in the Gulf of Mexico braced for Hurricane Ike Friday as the storm barreled toward southern Texas where it is expected to make landfall early this weekend.

DENVER (AP) _ An analyst on Friday upgraded Ormat Technologies Inc., saying there is a strong demand for alternative energy such as its geothermal energy projects.

NEW YORK (AP) _ A JPMorgan analyst upgraded shares of Brazilian airline holding company GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA to "Overweight" on Friday, suggesting the stock is undervalued since oil has pulled back over the last several months.

NEW YORK (AP) _ A Piper Jaffray analyst downgraded medical records and billing software maker Quality Systems Inc. on Friday, saying the stock will likely not rise much in the next 12 months following a "meteoric rise" since the company's last quarterly report.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Investors appeared less than convinced about Washington Mutual Inc.'s assurances that it has enough capital to survive the banking crisis, sending the embattled bank's shares tumbling nearly 5 percent in premarket trading.