Google and Yahoo have extended their talks with U.S. Department of Justice regulators examining their proposed search advertising deal.

Analysts and people on the street are waiting to see the DoJ launch a Microsoft-style antitrust action against the deal, which was set up in a bid to make Yahoo look good after turning down a Microsoft buyout. Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said the two companies have agreed to extend discussions with the DoJ, but he was not going to say much more about it.

Department of Justice antitrust regulators had been expected to announce today whether they would give the green light to the tie-up between Google and Yahoo. Last week, The Wall Street Journal claimed that the pair were discussing watering down the deal to avoid an antitrust challenge.