Microsoft-Yahoo Deal Uncertain After Key Deadline Passes

Microsoft's plan of buying Yahoo is still in suspense after the deadline of Saturday that the software maker had made for Yahoo, passed without the Internet giant accepting the take-over.

Microsoft made it clear after the deadline it had set, that it may consider the next move at the beginning of next month.

Yahoo's board members who seemed to be the next target for Microsoft in its pursuit for the take-over bid made their stand clear saying they won't sell to Microsoft for less than $45 billion.

Yahoo shares dropped by 50 cents to $26.80 last Friday following a decline in the value of Microsoft's cash-and-stock bid.

Microsoft shares fell by $1.97 to $29.83 on Friday pushing down the value of Yahoo bid to $42.7 billion, or $29.68 per share.

There are speculations that Microsoft will raise its bid since it needs Yahoo to better compete with Google in the Internet search and advertising market.

Yahoo currently has an advertising partnership with Google which is forecasted to increase Yahoo's profits.

The internet giant also had plans of merging with the online operators of Time Warner's AOL as one of the alternatives to Microsoft's take-over.

Yahoo's first quarter revenue increased by 9 percent but less than Google's and Microsoft's online services division, which increased by 42 and 40 percent, respectively.

Google and Yahoo are leading the Internet search market with more than 80 percent of the U.S. market.