Investors will be mulling over today’s consumer price index reports. While Canada’s inflation eased in the latest monthly report, U.S. prices rose slightly.

Statistics Canada said consumers paid less for gasoline at the pump in February, which pushed the 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index back down to 2.2% from 2.8% the month before.

In early trading, the Canadian dollar was at US86.31¢, down 0.31 of a cent.

The U.S. government said consumer prices rose 0.1% in February amid lower energy prices, and “core” inflation remained muted, climbing 0.1%.

Meanwhile, U.S. housing starts fell 7.9% in February following a big gain in the previous month.

Crude-oil prices slipped after U.S. government data showed a large increase in crude oil inventories.

Light sweet crude for April delivery dropped 20¢ to US$61.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Europe.

In today’s earnings news, Bear Stearns posted a 36% increase in quarterly profit, following similarly strong reports from rivals, on record results in the firm’s equity and fixed-income divisions.

Overnight, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 222.83 points, or 1.37%, to 16,096.21.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index rose 8.68 points, or 0.06%, to 15,729.04.

In early trading, the Canadian dollar was at 86.31 cents US, down 0.31 of a cent. On Wednesday, the loonie had risen 0.16 of a cent even as manufacturing shipments registered a 0.7 per cent decline in January.

On Wednesday, the S&P/TSX composite index extended its positive streak to a fifth straight session, and closed above the 12,000-point plateau for only the second time in its history.

The TSX benchmark gained 82.38 points, or 0.69%, to finish 12,055.63, its highest close since February 6, when the benchmark index closed at a record high of 12,080.53.

The S&P/TSX Venture Exchange index closed up 31.47 points, or 1.21%, at 2,624.32.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 58.43 points to 11,209.77, its best close since May 2001. The S&P 500 Index climbed 5.54 points to end at 1,303.02, which was also its best close in nearly five years. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index climbed 15.94 points to 2,311.84.

The U.S Federal Reserve reported that overall economic activity continued to expand into early March, despite the housing market showed indications of cooling.