Market diary.

MARKET DIARY

The markets were generally flat for the week ending Feb. 21 as strong corporate earnings and weakening oil prices were offset by inflation fears. The Dow Jones industrial average fell three points to close Feb. 21 at 12,738.40, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2 points to close at 1,457.63. Only the tech-dominated Nasdaq broke the mold, rising 30 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 2,518.40. The LABJ 200 index of local stocks was virtually unchanged for the week, closing at 148.41 as 122 stocks advanced and 71 declined. The apparel sector posted the biggest gains on the week, rising 6.9 percent; automotive/plastics/metals and manufacturing also posted healthy gains. Financial services, hit hard by the fallout from the troubled mortgage sector, lost 1.7 percent. Twenty-seven stocks hit 52-week highs during the week, including Van Nuys microchip tester Trio Tech International, which saw its stock soar more than 30 percent after reporting stronger than expected earnings. Another big winner on the week was biomedical company CytRx Corp., whose stock rose 50 percent on positive mentions in Business Week's "Hot Stock Picks." For the first time in recent months, no local stocks hit 52-week lows. However, Los Angeles-based marketing agency Emak Worldwide Inc. saw its stock get hammered, falling 22 percent on the week to $4.60.

WEEKLY PROFILE

BIG 5 SPORTING GOODS CORP. (BGFV)

Business Overview

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp., incorporated on October 31, 1997, is a sporting goods retailer in the United States carrying a range of hardlines, softlines and footwear. As of January 1, 2006, the company operated 324 stores under the Big 5 Sporting Goods name located in California, Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Colorado. Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. provides a line product offering in a traditional sporting goods store format that averages approximately 11,000 square feet. The company's product mix includes athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, as well as a selection of outdoor and athletic equipment for team sports, fitness, camping, hunting, fishing, tennis, golf, snowboarding and in-line skating. Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. conducts its business through Big 5 Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary. In 2004, the company started to conduct its gift card operations through Big 5 Services Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Big 5 Corp.