Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[marketmaven]

Engineered Net Bubble to Burst This Week (Google IPO a final top IMTO)

The likely Google IPO comes at a time when advertising revenue at Internet companies is near its highest level since 2000. The growth of classified ads and rich-media advertising drove Internet advertising dollars to $7.3 billion last year. Fourth-quarter Internet advertising sales were a record-setting $2.2 billion, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. For the full year, the overall industry grew nearly 21 percent. The annual Net advertising figure also eclipsed the $7.1 billion generated in 2001. But it has yet to surpass the $8.08 billion generated in Net advertising back in 2000.

Google's piece of that pie is an unknown, but it won't be for long -- whether the company decides to file for an IPO or not.Despite its months-long coyness about an IPO filing, the company may soon have to reveal its closely guarded financial performance through another type of public filing, according to securities lawyers tracking the company. Under securities law, U.S. companies that have $10 million in total assets and more than 500 stockholders must file a Form 10 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such a filing would force Google to report its earnings and revenue information. It would also trigger a need for other public filings, such as proxy statements and annual reports.