TOKYO, Feb 14 The Nikkei average is seen opening higher on Wednesday, extending gains fro

TOKYO, Feb 14 (Reuters) The Nikkei average is seen opening higher on Wednesday, extending gains from the previous session when it hit the highest close in nearly seven years, with energy shares such as Nippon Mining Holdings Inc. rising after similar U.S. stocks rose following a rebound in oil prices.

But investors may take profits on recent gainers after reaching the highest level in years and ahead of October-December gross domestic product figures due on Thursday, said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equity marketing at Nikko Cordial Securities.

''Overall, the Nikkei is likely to keep gaining, encouraged by a solid domestic economy and healthy corporate earnings,'' said Nishi.

Nikkei futures pointed to a rise in the market.

Contracts expiring in March finished at 17,705 in Chicago, a climb of 105 points from the close in Osaka The Nikkei is likely to move between 17,600 and 17,800 on Wednesday, Nishi said.

The benchmark rose 0.67 percent to 17,621.45 on Tuesday, its highest close since May 2000.

Traders are now focusing on GDP figures due out at 8:50 a.m.

on Thursday (2350 GMT Wednesday) for clues to whether the central bank will raise interest rates next week.

Economists polled by Reuters expect Japan's economy to have expanded 0.9 percent in October-December from the previous quarter, higher than 0.2 percent growth in July-September, because of an expected rebound in personal consumption.

U.S. stocks jumped on Tuesday, led by gains in the Dow industrials as talk that aluminium maker Alcoa Inc. may be a takeover target bolstered optimism about deals and energy shares such as Exxon Mobil Corp. gained with a sharp rebound in oil prices.

Crude for March delivery rose 2.2 percent, or $1.25, to settle at $59.06.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 0.81 percent to end at 12,654.85.

STOCKS TO WATCH -- Bridgestone Corp. T> Japan's top tyre maker said on Tuesday it would likely beat its operating profit forecast for 2006 by 15 percent, citing higher sales volumes, a more profitable product line-up and a weaker yen.

-- Aplus Co., Shinsei Bank T> Shinsei said on Tuesday it plans to inject up to $412 million into its ailing consumer finance affiliate Aplus to fund a restructuring drive.

-- Sony Corp. T> Sony said on Tuesday it will cut back on future chip spending and may not produce advanced ''cell'' microchips used in its PlayStation 3 (PS3) game gear in-house, aiming to bolster profitability in its chip division.

-- Kenedix Inc Kenedix said on Tuesday it planned to launch a residential property fund worth more than 50 billion yen ($412.6 million) and might list it as a real estate investment trust.

Kenedix also said it planned a 2-for-1 share split on July 1, for shareholders as of June 30.

-- Millea Holdings Inc. T> The insurer said on Tuesday it would buy back 9.72 million of its own shares at 4,260 yen apiece before the market opens on Wednesday.

-- Oriental Land Co.

USJ Co. Ltd., the operator of the Universal Studios theme park in Japan, received approval on Tuesday to list its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange next month.

-- Nikko Cordial Corp. T> The scandal-hit brokerage announced measures on Tuesday to tighten oversight of its accounting, the latest move in its effort to avoid expulsion from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

-- Toppan Printing Co.

Toppan Printing cut its annual operating profit forecast by 15 percent on Tuesday on sluggish sales of colour filters used in liquid crystal displays, and warned that a recovery was not in sight.

-- Calsonic Kansei Corp. T> The biggest parts maker affiliated with Nissan Motor Co.

halved its annual recurring profit forecast on Tuesday citing a slowdown in sales and delayed efforts to cut operating costs.

-- Aeon Co.

Japan's second-biggest retailer said on Tuesday it has agreed to inject capital in regional retailer affiliate Posful Corp. T> , raising the group's stake above 50 percent from the current one-third.

Aeon also said a special loss at Posful, based in Sapporo on northernmost main island of Hokkaido, would lower its net profit by 4.2 billion yen for the year ending Feb. 20.

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