Surge in Net Stocks Fueled by Europe Study

Mary Meeker may or may not be going anywhere, but stocks in her sector were moving Monday.

Yahoo Inc. zoomed 11% and shares of other U.S.-based Internet networks also rose after a report showed they are among the most popular with residential Net users in Europe’s top three markets. The study by research firm MMXI Europe, the first broad-based survey of the fast-growing European market, tracked Web surfing habits in Britain, France and Germany of 3,000 home computer users in each country in October.

“What we see is that the U.S. brands are really international brands and the higher ranking were the ones which really have adapted their content to the different national cultures,” said Arielle Dinard, managing director of MMXI Europe. “It proves that in order to be really successful, Internet companies have to adapt locally.”

Yahoo surged $27.81 to $280.81 on Nasdaq, and No. 1 Internet service provider America Online Inc. rose $2.63 to $81 on the New York Stock Exchange. Lycos Inc. gained $2.50 to $65.50 on Nasdaq. Yahoo’s stock may also have gotten a lift because it’s joining the blue-chip Standard & Poor’s 500 index today.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Yahoo ranked as the most-visited site in Britain, with 38% of that country’s 7.8 million Internet users, and No. 2 in Germany and France, the study found.

Yahoo was among the first to bet big on an international strategy for growth. It has specialized sites tailored for Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Britain and Ireland, as well as for the Pacific Rim and the Americas region.