15:00 Dados States
Enviado: 12/2/2004 16:0610:00am 02/12/04 U.S. DEC. BUSINESS SALES UP 0.9%
10:00am 02/12/04 U.S. DEC. RETAIL INVENTORIES UP 0.3%
10:00am 02/12/04 U.S. DEC. INVENTORIES UP 0.3%, 4TH INCREASE IN ROW
10:00am 02/12/04 U.S. DEC. INVENTORY-SALES RATIO RECORD LOW 1.34
U.S. inventories getting even tighter
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - U.S. businesses padded their inventories by 0.3 percent in December, but the gain wasn't enough to keep ahead of sales, which surged 0.9 percent, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
Accordingly, the inventory-to-sales ratio dropped to a record low 1.34.
The increase in inventories matched economists' expectations.
Inventories have increased four months in a row.
Inventories increased 4.3 percent in 2003.
The new data in Thursday's report concerned retail inventories, which grew by 0.3 percent while sales increased 0.2 percent.
The inventory-to-sales ratio rose to 1.57 from 1.56.
10:00am 02/12/04 U.S. DEC. RETAIL INVENTORIES UP 0.3%
10:00am 02/12/04 U.S. DEC. INVENTORIES UP 0.3%, 4TH INCREASE IN ROW
10:00am 02/12/04 U.S. DEC. INVENTORY-SALES RATIO RECORD LOW 1.34
U.S. inventories getting even tighter
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - U.S. businesses padded their inventories by 0.3 percent in December, but the gain wasn't enough to keep ahead of sales, which surged 0.9 percent, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
Accordingly, the inventory-to-sales ratio dropped to a record low 1.34.
The increase in inventories matched economists' expectations.
Inventories have increased four months in a row.
Inventories increased 4.3 percent in 2003.
The new data in Thursday's report concerned retail inventories, which grew by 0.3 percent while sales increased 0.2 percent.
The inventory-to-sales ratio rose to 1.57 from 1.56.