Not the time to do the splits

Companies often turn to stock splits to make their shares easier to buy and sell. This isn't an issue for Google Inc, the owner of the world's most popular search engine, even though its stock exceeded $600 on Monday for the first time.

Google is the third-most-active member of the S&P 500 when measured by the value of shares changing hands, rather than the number, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Trading in the company's stock averaged $2.4 billion a day during the past three months. Apple Inc was the busiest at $5.2 billion, followed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc at $2.5 billion.

Google was four times as active as CME Group Inc, the only S&P 500 stock with a higher price. Trading in CME Group, which closed at $625 yesterday to Google's $609.62, averaged $517.9 million a day.

Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin said in 2005 that Google had no plans to split. There's little incentive for them to change their minds.

David Wilson is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

(China Daily 10/10/2007 page16)