Technology, Better-than-expected | featured news

Shares of security software vendor AVG Technologies are trading sharply higher Thursday on better-than-expected Q3 financial results. For the quarter, AVG posted revenue of $95.3 million, up 34% from a year ago, and ahead of the Street at $85 million.

Blockbuster iPhone sales helped Apple Inc. blow past Wall Street's expectations with a 90 percent leap in net income for the most recent quarter. Shares of the company skyrocketed to an all-time high in extended trading Tuesday.

Apple said it sold a record 8.8 million of its popular iPhone smart phones in the three months that ended March 27, more than double the number sold a year ago. Revenue from the phones made up 40 percent of Apple's total revenue. The previous high was 8.7 million phones sold in the October-December quarter last year.

Dell reported a 5% drop in fourth-quarter earnings Thursday, but the computer maker beat Wall Street's expectations on solid sales across all its segments as businesses started spending on IT again.

U.S. stock futures rose as better-than-expected earnings reports from Research In Motion and Oracle late Thursday reinforced confidence in the ability of companies to increase profits next year.