After languishing for years, consumer electronics giant Sony is showing the heady growth that made the Japanese company a household name around the globe. Sony is enjoying an earnings spurt lately - if one excludes the negative impact of the Japanese yen's rising value against the dollar and other major currencies.

The gains are being powered by several factors, including strong holiday sales of its electronics gear, especially its industry-leading PlayStation video game player. There's also growing excitement about the prospects for Sony's next generation of the player, PlayStation 2, which is due out in March in Japan and then is expected to reach North America in plenty of time for Christmas 2000.

The shares have gotten an extra lift lately after Sony announced a two-for-one stock split to be effective in May, its first split since late 1991. Despite the stock's gains, several analysts are still recommending that investors buy the shares.

The mania for technology stocks worldwide is helping keep Sony among the leaders in the Japanese stock market - and on the New York Stock Exchange.