Global shares rebound on Apple, Bernanke's comments

Global shares jumped on Wednesday after stellar earnings from Apple Inc bolstered optimism over corporate earnings and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank was prepared to do more to aid the US economy if necessary.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 89.16 points, or 0.69 percent, at 13,090.72. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 18.72 points, or 1.36 percent, at 1,390.69. The Nasdaq Composite Index surged 68.03 points, or 2.30 percent, at 3,029.63.

European shares rose for a second day, bolstered by a crop of strong earnings reports, but volatility remained high, with investors betting that economic weakness and the euro zone debt crisis would prompt a fresh down leg before too long.

Much better-than-expected profits from Apple chimed in with a string of more modest forecast beats in Europe, including from Swedbank and Peugeot.

The FTSEurofirst 300 closed up 1 percent at 1,042.55 points, further recovering from Monday's three-month low of 1,018.65 hit on concerns that political shifts in France and the Netherlands would make it even harder for the euro zone to come out of recession and help debt-ridden members like Spain.

Japan's Nikkei share average climbed 1 percent to snap four straight days of losses, boosted by decent U.S. corporate results and an easing yen, though appetite for risk was tempered by political uncertainty in Europe and ahead of key central bank meetings.

The dollar hit an intraday high of 81.6 yen after strong earnings from US companies including Apple Inc, temporarily pushing the Nikkei to 9,643.27, above its 13-week moving average of 9.630.08.

The Nikkei advanced to 9,561.01, with the securities sector gaining 4.2 percent as one of the biggest gainers on the back of the weakening yen. The broader Topix rose 0.7 percent to 809.49.