Ebay posts 50% rise in profit

Ebay last night posted a 50 per cent rise in net profit on the back of strength in its auction and PayPal units but left its …

Ebay last night posted a 50 per cent rise in net profit on the back of strength in its auction and PayPal units but left its 2007.

Revenue as well as margins for Ebay's auctions and fixed price shopping grew, with revenue rising 26 per cent and breaking out of the 22 per cent to 24 per cent range of the prior four quarters. But new sales listings fell 6 per cent.

President and Chief Executive Meg Whitman told investors on a conference call that improvements to its auctions should lead to better results in future quarters.

Profit excluding one-time items was 34 cents per share, 2 cents ahead of the average Wall Street target, while total revenue rose 30 per cent to $1.83 billion, the top end of the range of Wall Street predictions.

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US revenue rose 24 per cent, while international revenues grew 37 per cent. Active eBay users globally rose 7 per cent to 83.3 million.

Ebay and its Paypal subsidiary employ more than 800 people in Blanchardstown, west Dublin.