MORNING BUSINESS MINUTE, THURS. FEB. 23, 2006

The Consumer Price Index showed moderate inflation, it`s core rate rising % 0.2 percent, in line with expectations. The overall index went up %0.7 percent last month because of gas and electricity prices -- but that ended up balanced by dropping oil prices, which fell $1.73 to finish at $61.01 a barrel on Nymex. The Dow added +68.11 (+0.62%) to close at 11,137.17. The NASDAQ added +20.21 (+0.89%) to finish at 2,283.17 and the S&P 500 added +9.63 (+0.75%) to finish at 1,292.67. Stocks of local interest split the session. Tyson Foods (TSN) lost -0.91% to close at $14.21. JB Hunt (JBHT) added +0.12% to finish at $24.62. Acxiom (ACXM) added +1.44% to finish at $25.40 and Wal-Mart (WMT) lost -0.57% to close at $45.48. Today, we`ll see Initial Jobless claims for the week behind. Earnings today come from The Gap, H&R Block, Kohl`s and Nordstrom. Overseas in Asia, the Nikkei rose +1% to reach 15,937.49 at the mid-day break in Tokyo. The broader Topix rose +1.3 percent. Back in the U.S., in extended hours trading, the NASDAQ 100 Afterhours Indicator fell -0.71 (-0.04%) to close the night at 1,676.81.