CALDEIRÃO DE BOLSA

10:00am 04/08/04 U.S. FEB WHOLESALE SALES UP 1.3%
10:00am 04/08/04 U.S. FEB WHOLESALE INVENTORY-SALES RATIO STEADY AT 1.17
10:00am 04/08/04 LARGEST GAIN IN U.S. WHOLESALE INVENTORIES SINCE NOV 99
10:00am 04/08/04 U.S. FEB WHOLESALE INVENTORIES UP 1.2%

U.S. Feb. wholesale inventories rise 1.2 percent
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - U.S. wholesalers boosted their inventories 1.2 percent in February in response to a 1.3 percent increase in sales, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday.
This is the biggest rise in inventories since November 1999.
The rise was much larger than expected. The consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for inventories to rise 0.3 percent.
The inventory-to-sales ratio remained at a record low 1.17 in February.
With inventories so tight, any increase in demand is being matched immediately by new orders to manufacturers.
In February, durable goods inventories rose 1.1 percent while sales increased 2.1 percent.
Nondurable goods inventories increased 1.4 percent in February while sales rose 0.6 percent.