Techs lift the mood

LONDON (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stock futures were stronger Tuesday after positive earnings reports in the technology sector, led by Apple Computer, lifted sentiment.

At 4:56 a.m. ET, Nasdaq futures were sharply higher, pointing to a positive open. The broader market, however, looked set for a tougher start.

Apple (Charts, Fortune 500) posted sharply higher revenue and earnings after the market close on Monday. The results handily beat Wall Street's estimates.

Online DVD rental company Netflix (Charts) and chipmaker Texas Instruments (Charts, Fortune 500) both also reported strong quarterly results late Monday.

Another slew of corporate earnings is on tap Tuesday, including results from AT&T (Charts, Fortune 500), Dupont (Charts, Fortune 500) and Amazon.com (Charts, Fortune 500).

In deal news, Nike (Charts, Fortune 500) said it was buying British sports apparel maker Umbro for $582 million. The move is expected to help the U.S. giant expand its soccer presence.

Stocks made a recovery of sorts on Monday after last week's heavy sell off. Tech shares led the rebound, gaining about 1 percent, while the broader S&P 500 index added just 0.4 percent.

In global trade, major markets in Asia also rebounded. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added nearly 4 percent. European stocks were higher in early trading.