Google Interest in eBay Sends Auction Site's Shares Spiking

eBay shares shot up last week, after rumors surfaced that Google could look to acquire a major minority stake in the online auction company. However, it isn't for its web marketplace, it's for eBay's primary asset, Paypal, which Google may need if it looks to take on Apple Pay in the battle of the handsets. Instead of getting into a costly licensing deal, or, worse still, a patent courtroom slugfest, Google would be able to tap into a big base of users with Paypal -- which is just what one activist investor argued earlier this year, when he pitched for a big breakup of eBay.

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