U.S. stocks a poised to open flat Wednesday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average posted its highest close since June 5, 2001.

In this morning’s economic news, Statistics Canada said manufacturing shipments continued on an erratic course in January as the ever-volatile motor vehicles and parts industries pulled down total shipments, despite strength in several resource-based industries.

Shipments declined 0.7% to $51.8 billion in January, following a 1.8% advance in December. Excluding the motor vehicles and parts industries, shipments actually edged up by 0.3%.

Separately, StatsCan said Canada’s net external liabilities rose to their highest quarterly level of 2005 at the end of the year, as the value of Canada’s foreign liabilities rose at a faster pace than its assets abroad.

Net external liabilities (the difference between Canada’s external assets and foreign liabilities) reached $175.8 billion at the end of the fourth quarter, up 1.6% from the third.

The Canadian dollar opened at US86.51¢, up 0.05 of a cent.

South of the border, U.S. import prices fell 0.5%, the first decline in three months, during February as costs dropped for not only oil but also non-petroleum products.

Crude-oil prices dropped below $63 US a barrel Wednesday ahead of the release of U.S. figures later in the day expected to show a rise in oil stocks but declines in gasoline and heating oil supplies.

Light sweet crude for April delivery dropped 37¢ to US$62.73 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In today’s earnings news, Lehman Brothers said strong underwriting and trading lifted profit by 24% to a record US$1.09 billion for the fiscal first quarter, following a strong report from Goldman Sachs.

Overseas, European indexes rose in early action.

The Nikkei 225 index rose 80.68 points, or 0.5%, to 16,319.04 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Sony’s stock fell 1.8% amid Japanese media reports saying the firm is delaying the PlayStation 3 game console from its planned spring release. After the market closed, Sony confirmed the release would be pushed back to November.

In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index rose 200.6 points, or 1.29%, to 15,720.36.

Toronto stocks closed higher for the fourth consecutive session of as the market was powered once again by rising commodity prices.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 66.60 points, or 0.56%, to 11,973.25.

The S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 3.92 points , or 0.15%, to 2,592.85.

In New York, markets were up despite news of a record yearly current-accounts deficit.

The Dow Jones industrials index closed up 75.32 points at 11,151.34, its highest close since June 2001. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 28.87 points to 2,295.90. The S&P 500 Index gained nearly 13.35 points to 1,297.48, its highest close since May 2001.