MORNING BUSINESS MINUTE, FRI. MAR. 3, 2006

Oil prices rose $1.39 to close at $63.36 on Nymex. That came after more political unrest in the Mid-East. Also frightening investors -- retail sales results from last month, which came in OK -- but a bit under expectations from Wall Street. Wal-Mart posted comps of %3.2 percent, in line with calls by analysts. The Dow lost -28.02 (-0.25%) to close at 11,025.51. The NASDAQ lost -3.53 (-0.15%) to finish at 2,311.11 and the S&P 500 lost -2.10 (-0.16%) to finish at 1,289.14. Local stocks posted mostly negative results. Tyson Foods (TSN) lost -1.23% to close at $13.63. JB Hunt (JBHT) lost -1.21% to close at $23.68. Acxiom (ACXM) finished flat at $26.05 and Wal-Mart (WMT) lost -0.20% to close at $45.06 Today, we`ll see the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment numbers for February -- revised. We`ll also see the ISM Services numbers for the same month. Earnings today come from Dillard`s, and others. Overseas in Asia last night the Nikkei dropped nearly a full percent at the mid-day break in Tokyo, reaching 15,773.48. Back in the U.S., in extended hours trading, the NASDAQ 100 Afterhours Indicator rose +1.44 (+0.09%)to close the night at 1,695.22.