Oct 31 (Reuters) - Global Payments (GPN.N) raised its annual profit forecast and beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit on Tuesday, as strong consumer spending drove growth in its merchant-focused business. Global Payments now expects annual adjusted profit of between $10.39 and $10.45 per share, up from a prior range of $10.35 to $10.44 per share. That has helped companies like Global Payments, whose fees are strongly correlated to spending volumes. Peer Fiserv (FI.N) last week also raised its full-year profit forecast after its quarterly earnings nearly doubled. Excluding one-off items, Global Payments earned $2.75 per share in the third quarter.

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Persons: Peer Fiserv, Arasu Kannagi Basil, Milla Nissi Organizations: Wall, Global, Thomson Locations: The Atlanta , Georgia, Bengaluru