Alphabet shares ( GOOGL-Q , GOOG-Q ) jumped more than 6 per cent in premarket trading on Wednesday after a U.S. judge ruled against breaking up the Google parent, clearing a major regulatory overhang and putting it on track to add more than US$160- billion to its market value.

The ruling on Tuesday by Judge Amit Mehta allows Google to retain control of its Chrome browser and Android mobile operating system, while barring certain exclusive contracts with device makers and browser developers.

It, however, allowed Google to continue to make payments to partners such as Apple ( AAPL-Q ) to feature its search engine. Shares of the iPhone maker were up 3.7 per cent before the bell.

“This outcome removes a significant legal overhang and signals that the court is willing to pursue pragmat

See Full Page