Global stocks extended gains to a one-year high on Tuesday, up 75 percent from a crisis low after strong sales numbers from Apple Inc suggested U.S. consumption is returning, according to Reuters. However, major European stock markets could succumb to profit taking, with financial bookmakers" expecting Britain"s FTSE 100, Germany"s DAX and France"s CAC-40 to open either slightly higher or lower. The weak dollar supported commodity prices, with oil briefly topping $80 a barrel for the first time in a year, up for a ninth day, and gold near a record high, as the dollar remained under pressure from investors searching for higher returns elsewhwere. Portfolio flows into emerging market assets have been torrential, leading Brazil to slap a 2 percent tax on foreign investment in domestic stocks and bonds to try to cool its real currency, which has surged 36 percent this year. In stock markets, Japan"s Nikkei share average rose 0.9 percent, supported largely by technology stocks. "These (U.S.) results are inevitably providing a bit of a boost, particularly for parts suppliers and chip makers, while a whole range of China-linked shares are also doing well," said Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments in Tokyo. Shares of Komatsu Ltd, the world"s second-biggest maker of construction equipment, rose 2 percent after a report the company had made 10 billion yen in operating profit for the July-September quarter on demand from China and other developing markets. The benchmark MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.9 percent to the highest in 14 months. The materials and financial sectors led the charge. The Thomson-Reuters index of regional shares was up 0.95 percent. The MSCI index of global shares edged up 0.3 percent based on Asia"s gains and was at the highest since Sept. 29. U.S. stock futures rose 0.3 percent after profits at Apple Inc, released after the closing bell, exceeded market forecasts on record quarterly sales of iPhones and Macs. Shares of Apple jumped 7.5 percent in after-hours trading to a record high. During the regular session, U.S. stocks gained about 1 percent to 12-month highs as investors cheered a wave of solid quarterly earnings. --SPA
