Alphabet sales growth back as Google advertising revenue rebounds

Google parent Alphabet Inc returned to sales growth in the third quarter as businesses initially hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic resumed advertising with the internet's biggest supplier of ads, the tech giant said on Thursday.

Alphabet shares rose 4.4 per cent after ending regular trading at $1,556.88.

Wall Street had expected a rebound from Alphabet because the company said in July that advertiser spending was inching back following a March plummet due to lockdowns. Google competitors Snap Inc and Microsoft Corp also reported third quarter revenue ahead of expectations in recent days.

Google's namesake search engine and YouTube video service are gateways to