Apple shares poised for record high after bumper results

US technology behemoth Apple beat estimates for Q4 profits overnight and sent shares racing toward a record high after reporting profits of $13.06bn.

The net profit figure equated to $13.87 per share, well ahead of analysts' expectations of $10.16. Profits rocketed off the back of a huge climb in revenues which jumped 73% to $46.33bn, beating the average Wall Street analyst's estimate of $38.91bn. Erasing memories of the rare miss by the electronics giant in the third quarter of 2011, the latest numbers saw shares soar in after hours trading. Having closed at $420.41 before the results were released, shares jumped nearly $7, or $28.74, to $449.15 in after hours trading. That was above the record high set during normal trading...