Shares in Research in Motion jumped more than 20 per cent in late trading Thursday after the Canadian manufacturer of the BlackBerry smartphones reported better than expected fourth-quarter earnings and strong subscriber growth.

RIM’s shares rose to $59.52 in after-hours trading from their regular session close of $49.09 on the Nasdaq after the company reported profits increased to $518.3m, or 90 cents a share, from $412.5m, or 72 cents, a year earlier.