Google surprises with big jump in profits

 The search engine giant Google has recorded an unexpectedly strong jump in profits, defying all growth concerns. In the first quarter, the Internet company increased its surplus by around 30 percent to 1.3 billion dollars. Compared to the previous year, turnover even climbed by 42 percent to 5.2 billion dollars. According to Group CEO Eric Schmidt, Google is also very well positioned for the future. Great growth potential is seen above all in the international markets. With the latest figures, Google has clearly refuted fears that its business would be significantly slowed down by the US economic downturn. Analysts had recently been massively concerned about Google's growth in its core business with online search advertising. However, the number of clicks on ads next to search results, which is crucial for Google's revenue, rose by around 20 percent in the first quarter.
According to experts, the strong Google figures could also have an impact on the price for the planned takeover of competitor Yahoo by Microsoft. The Google results would signal that the online advertising market is intact, said one analyst. This could help Yahoo to beat out a higher price.