IN BRIEF.

VALLEY INDEX FALLS: Stocks in the Daily News/Bloomberg Index fell 0.03 to 133.26, led by Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. and Thousand Oaks-based Xylan Corp. Disney declined 1-1/4 to 110 and Xylan was off 1 3/16 to 24 15/16.

- Bloomberg News

DRIVING DEAL: Eltron International Inc., a Simi Valley-based maker of thermal label and plastic card printers, has signed a $3 million contract with Viisage Technology Inc. Viisage will integrate its biometric identification software with an Eltron printing system to produce digital driver's licenses for the state of Illinois. Illinois has 7 million licensed drivers and operates the nation's fifth-largest driver's licensing system.

- Daily News

MGM LOSS: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayerlost $82.5 million during the fourth quarter, a result in part of writedowns. MGM, which launched an initial public stock offering in November, has said it does not expect to turn a profit for about three years as new management attempts to revive the legendary studio. MGM declined to identify which projects were to blame for the writedowns, but industry analysts have pegged them to the film ``Red Corner'' and the TV series ``Fame LA.'' - Daily News