No Need for Google to Fret, Says Analysts

So far the most talked about news on the internet lately is about the possible merger of Microsoft and Yahoo!, with the former offering to buy the latter for around $44.6 billion to better compete with Google in the market for online services.

But Analysts says big G can take time responding to 'Yahoosoft,' and that there is no immediate pressure for Google to act boldly.

"Google doesn't have to do much. It is that far ahead," says Jeffrey Lindsay, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.

Google's share of Internet searches is nearly 60% in the U.S. — about twice the combined total of Yahoo and Microsoft, according to estimates from market researchers.

At the same time, Google commands more than 40% of worldwide online ad sales. Combined, Yahoo and Microsoft are less than 25%. Microsoft's Online Services group lost $537 million last year, while increasing ad sales a tepid 7%.

What Google also has is time. Any real competitive gains by a Microsoft-Yahoo cartel could be a long time coming. The U.S. Justice Department on Friday expressed interest in reviewing the deal, a setback to Microsoft's plans to close the deal by 2009.

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