“Shares of Google Inc rose 3 percent in premarket trade on Friday after the company posted a healthy gain at its online advertising business, assuring the Street that it was performing well despite a slow economy,” Sayantani Ghosh reports for Reuters.

“Google’s advertising rates have been pressured as consumers increasingly use smartphones to access mobile versions of the Web, but the concern was alleviated as overall clicks on Google’s search ads jumped 42 percent in the second quarter,” Ghosh reports. “The success of Google’s web browser, Chrome, will offset rising traffic acquisition costs (TAC), Barclays Capital analyst Anthony DiClemente said in a client note. TAC is the money paid by internet search companies to online firms that direct traffic to their websites.”

Ghosh reports, “Chrome users nearly doubled by the second quarter to 310 million. The world’s No.1 search engine, however, evaded questions about its plans for Motorola Mobility, which it recently bought for $12.5 billion, saying Google was yet to complete its homework on the various businesses. Motorola reported an operating loss of $233 million in the second quarter on revenue of $1.25 billion.”

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