Growth in U.S. Business Inventories Accelerated in March
May 17 2022 - 10:38AM
Dow Jones News
By Xavier Fontdegloria
Business inventories in the U.S. rose at a solid clip in March,
signaling that firms continued to replenish stockpiles amid
supply-chain disruptions.
Business inventories increased 2% in March after rising by a
revised 1.8% in February, data from the U.S. Commerce Department
showed Tuesday. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal
expected inventories to advance 1.9%.
Inventories rose by 2.3% at both wholesalers and retailers, and
by 1.3% at manufacturers.
The inventory-sales ratio stood at 1.27 in March, unchanged from
the previous month.
Inventories are expected to continue rising in the short-term,
but businesses will face a more difficult environment as lockdowns
in China and the war in Ukraine are likely to put more stress on
supply chains and keep commodity prices high, economists say.
Write to Xavier Fontdegloria at xavier.fontdegloria@wsj.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 17, 2022 10:23 ET (14:23 GMT)
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