Following Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) strong performance yesterday as it handily beat analysts' estimates and saw its stock surge over 7% in after-hour trading, stock futures are pointing to a higher start this morning on Wall Street. Apple, with its blowout quarter, along with solid results from two Dow components American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) and DuPont Co. (NYSE: DD), gave investors exactly what they needed to look past the disappointing earnings from the industrial sector that so far gave cause for a more sombre mood.

After a week of declines and a Friday tumble of 366 points in the Dow, stocks recovered somewhat yesterday. The technology heavy Nasdaq led gains throughout the day even as other indices were down and added 28 points, or 1.06%. Eventually the Dow Jones Industrial Average also rebounded and ended the day 44 points higher or 0.33% and the S&P 500 rose 5 points, or 0.38%.

Once again there is little economic data due out today. Oil prices continued to decline from the $90 a barrel record set last week, falling below $86 a barrel.

Overseas, Asian markets also rebounded with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ending the day up over 3.5%. European stocks were higher in early trading with Britain's FTSE 100 rising 1.49%, Germany's DAX index 0.94%, and France's CAC-40 1.17%.

Bloomberg also reported this morning that the Federal Reserve indicated its support for the plan brokered by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to increase liquidity in the market for asset-backed commercial paper. The agreement is well-enough designed that it may help credit markets, according to one Fed official.

Concerns over the credit market have not alleviated though and the problems were seen plainly in American Express (NYSE: AXP) earnings report, where despite beating expectations, the company said delinquencies rose and that it boosted loan-loss provisions in preparation for further deterioration in credit. AXP shares rose over 3.5% in Frankfurt.

Chemical maker DuPont Co. (NYSE: DD) posted this morning a larger profit for the third quarter on agricultural and nutritional products in Latin America and the company boosted its full-year outlook. The company beat estimates.

BP Plc (NYSE: BP) shares are up over 2.2% in premarket trading despite the company reporting a third-quarter profit decline of 29% compared with a year ago because of lower margins and interruptions in refining. The market was apparently prepared for such news and seems to think the worse is over.

Other companies reporting today: AT&T (NYSE: T) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) after the close. Shares of Amazon are up over 2.4% in premarket trading ahead of its earnings.

Meanwhile, Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) agreed to buy Umbro Plc for 285 million pounds ($580 million), gaining the contract to outfit the English soccer team and sell replica jerseys worldwide.