Wholesale stocks rise but sales increase
By Martin Crutsinger |
April 10, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
INVENTORIES held by United States wholesalers rose by a larger-than-expected amount in February while sales increased for the 11th consecutive month.
The US Commerce Department said yesterday that inventories at the wholesale level were up 0.6 percent in February, better than the 0.4 percent rise analysts had expected. Sales rose 0.8 percent, beating the 0.5 percent rise economists had forecast.
The gains were an encouraging sign that stronger demand is prompting businesses to restock depleted shelves, a development that will help sustain the economic recovery.
The inventory boost followed a 0.1 percent rise in January, which was initially reported as a decline of 0.2 percent.
The sales rise followed a 0.9 percent January gain and was the 11th straight month that sales have been up.
Analysts are hoping that the string of sales increases will prompt businesses to begin restocking their depleted shelves, giving a boost to the economy as it struggles to recover from the worst recession since the 1930s.
The back-to-back gains in inventories were the first since increases in both October and November. However, inventories drop again in December. Before October, inventories had posted 13 straight declines as businesses went through a massive liquidation of their stocks during the crisis, struggling to contain costs as demand for their products slumped.
The rise in inventories and sales in February left the inventory to sales ratio at 1.16, the same as in January.
The US Commerce Department said yesterday that inventories at the wholesale level were up 0.6 percent in February, better than the 0.4 percent rise analysts had expected. Sales rose 0.8 percent, beating the 0.5 percent rise economists had forecast.
The gains were an encouraging sign that stronger demand is prompting businesses to restock depleted shelves, a development that will help sustain the economic recovery.
The inventory boost followed a 0.1 percent rise in January, which was initially reported as a decline of 0.2 percent.
The sales rise followed a 0.9 percent January gain and was the 11th straight month that sales have been up.
Analysts are hoping that the string of sales increases will prompt businesses to begin restocking their depleted shelves, giving a boost to the economy as it struggles to recover from the worst recession since the 1930s.
The back-to-back gains in inventories were the first since increases in both October and November. However, inventories drop again in December. Before October, inventories had posted 13 straight declines as businesses went through a massive liquidation of their stocks during the crisis, struggling to contain costs as demand for their products slumped.
The rise in inventories and sales in February left the inventory to sales ratio at 1.16, the same as in January.
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