WASHINGTON — U.S. wholesale businesses restocked faster in April, responding to a strong gain in sales. The increase could be a good sign for economic growth in the April-June quarter.
The Commerce Department says stockpiles grew 0.6 percent at the wholesale level in April, double the March gain. Sales by wholesale businesses jumped 1.1 percent in April, nearly three times the March sales gain.
Stockpiles at the wholesale level stood at $483.5 billion in April. That's 25.6 percent above the post-recession low of $384.9 billion in September 2009.
It would take roughly five weeks to exhaust all wholesale stockpiles at the April sales pace. That's considered a healthy time frame and suggests businesses will keep restocking to meet demand.
When businesses step up restocking, they order more goods. That generally leads to increased factory production and higher economic growth.
Slower growth in inventories held back growth in the January-March quarter. In the first three months of this year, the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.9 percent.
The increase in wholesale inventories was bigger than economists had forecast. That could signal that inventory growth will pick up and boost economic growth in the April-June quarter.
But stockpile growth largely depends on the spending habits of U.S. consumers and businesses.
Weaker job creation in April and May could force some to scale back spending. And pay has risen just 1.7 percent over the past 12 months. That's slower than the rate of inflation for that period.
Sluggish job growth and weak pay raises threaten to drag on consumer spending, which would weaken growth. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.
One positive change: Gas prices have tumbled since early April. That could give Americans more money to spend on appliances, vacations and other discretionary purchases.
Many businesses cut back on restocking last summer fearing that the economy was on the verge of another recession. When it became clear that it wasn't, they raced to rebuild stockpiles and keep pace with consumer demand.
Stockpiles at the wholesale level account for about 27 percent of total business inventories. Stockpiles held by retailers make up about one-third of the total. Manufacturing inventories represent about 40 percent of the total.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Eric Pickles tells 'tatty' shopping parades how to succeed - BBC News
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has issued a set of guidelines to help "tatty" shopping parades in England compete with the High Street.
He urges small neighbourhood shops to "kick out the louts", set up "savvy" services and "restore local pride".
Labour branded his "shopping list for success" - which comes with no new money - "patronising" but it was welcomed by a leading trade body.
Retail guru Mary Portas has drawn up a £10m plan to revive the High Street.
But the Department for Communities and Local Government says it wants to reassure local convenience stores which employ 10 people or fewer that they have not been forgotten, describing them as "crucial" to the economy.
Local grocery shops, newsagents and cafes have been squeezed by the growth of out-of-town shopping centres and online retail, although are still growing at a faster rate than High Street stores, according to research quoted by the DCLG in a report.
'No-go zones'Mr Pickles said: "In the past too many neighbourhood shopping parades have been left to fade in memory and outlook.
“Start Quote
End Quote National Association of Convenience StoresThe government is giving long overdue credit to local shops and helping them by giving practical advice on how to work together and thrive”
"Convinced they can't compete with the mega stores and besieged by gangs of louts they have become tatty, no-go zones turning our beloved local convenience store into the local inconvenience.
"We've taken action to back local firms and small shops and today we are offering up ways to rescue run down shop parades by kicking out the louts, set up savvy services for shoppers and restoring the local pride in parades."
He said parades should be "thriving beacons of local business, home to the character of the neighbourhood community and the local shoppers' destination of choice".
The guide sets out government support available to local shops, such as the "Community right to bid", which is meant to make it easier for local people to take over "treasured" local assets faced with closure.
'Unhelpful'But Shadow Communities and Local Government minister Roberta Blackman-Woods, for Labour, said: "This is further gesture politics from the government to cover up their lack of an economic plan for the country and for High Streets.
"While shop owners are working hard to keep their businesses going, the government has done little to improve consumer confidence and get our economy moving again.
"Advice like 'Go the extra mile on service' is simply patronising and unhelpful."
But Mr Pickles' guidance was welcomed by the Association of Convenience Stores, which helped draw it up.
Chief Executive James Lowman said: "The government is giving long overdue credit to local shops and helping them by giving practical advice on how to work together and thrive."
He said Mr Pickles' department had made "great strides in its new National planning Policy Framework that will make it harder for big out-of-town stores to open up and destroy the diversity of local parades."
Wholesale Inventories Rise, Markets Advance - Arlington Heights Daily Herald
A 0.6% increase in wholesale inventories lifted the markets higher during the midday with the Dow rising 24 points to 12,485. Nasdaq gained 11 points to 2842.
On the upside
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn acquired additional shares of Navistar International (NYSE: NAV) to increase his stake to 11.87%.
Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage of Neonode (Nasdaq: NEON) with a Buy rating.
Shares of Zalicus (Nasdaq: ZLCS) continued climbing after a Seeking Alpha contributor wrote yesterday that the company was one of five biotechnology stocks poised for growth.
On the downside
TheStreet Ratings affirmed its Hold rating on US Steel (NYSE: X).
TheStreet Ratings reiterated its Hold with a ratings score of C on Exelon (NYSE: EXC).
Shares of Quicksilver Resources (NYSE: KWK) continued falling after TheStreet Ratings downgraded the company to a Sell rating yesterday.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 5 to 4 on the NYSE and by nearly 7 to 5 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks rose 3 points to 763.
US Wholesale Inventories Rise 0.6% In April - NASDAQ
WASHINGTON--Inventories at U.S. wholesalers increased in April as stockpiles of cars, machinery and other long-lasting goods grew.
The inventories of U.S. wholesalers increased by 0.6% from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted $483.50 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a 0.5% gain.
Sales for wholesalers were up 1.1% in April to $415.02 billion.
Wholesalers must stock the pipeline to keep up with end demand. Despite weak job creation and worries about Europe, personal spending has been a bright spot for the U.S. economy so far this year.
The government's gross domestic product report last week showed consumer spending rose 2.7% during the January-to- March period, the best quarterly gain since 2010. Separate data showed personal spending increased 0.3% in April from the prior month.
But the economy as a whole slowed to a 1.9% growth rate in the first quarter, from a 3.0% annualized gain in the final quarter of 2011, partially because the pace of inventory increases slowed.
According to Friday's report, restocking of automobiles, up 1.7%, and machinery, up 2.4%, helped drive the overall inventory gains in April.
Wholesalers' inventories of all durable goods increased by 1.1%, the strongest gain since May 2011.
Meanwhile, non-durable goods inventories moved down 0.1% in April. Declining stockpiles of drugs and groceries helped off set a 2.0% rise in petroleum inventories.
The amount of wholesale goods on hand relative to sales in April was 1.17, the same as the prior month. The inventory- to-sales ratio measures how many months it would take for a firm to deplete its current inventory.
In March, overall wholesale inventories increased 0.3%, as previously reported. However, sales growth was revised down to 0.4% from 0.5%.
The Commerce Department data are available online at: http://www2.census.gov/wholesale/pdf/mwts/currentwhl.pdf.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires 06-08-121035ET Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Irving Oil requests hike in wholesale gas margins - CBC
Irving Oil Ltd. is seeking an increase in wholesale margins from the Energy and Utilities Board. (CBC)Irving Oil Ltd. is seeking approval from the Energy and Utilities Board to increase wholesale margins on gasoline and home heating fuel, a move that would lead to higher costs for consumers.
The province’s regulated gas prices allows for a six-cent margin for wholesalers, a fee that has not been increased since the system was put in place in 2006.
In documents filed with the Energy and Utilities Board, Irving Oil says those margins must be increased or it could threaten the financial viability of wholesale companies in the province.
“It is important for the actual wholesale costs to be recovered in the wholesale margins because without cost recovery it will not make economic sense to continue to supply retailers where the wholesale cost increases exceed what can be recovered from retailers,” stated Matthew Holland, the petroleum manager of Irving Oil Marketing G.P. in a document filed with the regulator.
“As the costs need to be ultimately recovered, it is necessary to provide for a reasonable opportunity of cost recovery to maintain a competitive marketplace. “
There are 59 wholesalers registered in New Brunswick.
Irving Oil would like to see the wholesale margin for gasoline to rise to 7.36 cents per litre from six cents per litre.
Further, the company would like to see the wholesale margin for heating oil to rise to 6.28 cents per litre from five cents per litre.
Irving Oil has requested the financial documents that it is using to justify its request to be kept confidential.
“Public disclosure of the confidential information will harm Irving Oil by providing its competitors, suppliers, retailers and other counterparties with access to commercially and financially sensitive, information with respect to a critical component of its operations,” said Len Hoyt, a lawyer for Irving Oil in a statement to the board.
Retail margins increased in 2011
When the Energy and Utilities Board sets its weekly price, a certain portion is set aside for the cost of fuel, plus wholesale and retail margins. And a maximum of 2.5 cents per litre can be added for a delivery charge.
While Irving Oil is seeking an increase to its wholesale margins, retailers have already benefited from an increase in their margins. In June 2011, the board approved the maximum retail margin for gasoline to increase to 5.9 cents per litre up from five cents per litre.
Irving Oil said much has changed in the oil and gas industry since the regulated gas system came into place in 2006.
“Since the time when the wholesale margins were established, there have been substantial increases in wholesale costs,” Holland said.
“Wholesalers cannot and should not continue to have their unit margin eroded without the ability to recover their lost revenue in a timely manner,” Holland added in his statement.
Ahead of the Bell: Wholesale Inventories - Yahoo Finance
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Businesses likely slowed their restocking of store shelves this year following a big jump in inventory building at the end of last year.
The Commerce Department will report on inventories for April on Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern time. Many economists were looking for another modest gain with analysts forecasting that sales at the wholesale level rose 0.4 percent, according to a survey by FactSet.
Businesses order more goods when they increase their stockpiles. That typically leads to more factory production and economic growth.
It would have taken roughly five weeks to exhaust all wholesale stockpiles at the March sales pace. That's considered a healthy time frame and suggests businesses will keep restocking to meet demand.
Inventories are expected to keep growing this year, though probably nowhere near the level seen at the end of last year.
Many businesses cut back on restocking last summer fearing that the economy was on the verge of another recession. When it became clear that it wasn't, they raced to rebuild stockpiles and keep pace with consumer demand.
In the first three months of this year, the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.9 percent. That gain was driven by the fastest growth in consumer spending since late 2010.
Consumers spent more partly in response to strong hiring. But hiring has slowed sharply over the past two months. In May, employers add just 69,000 jobs, the smallest increase in a year, and the unemployment rate edged up form 8.1 percent in April to 8.2 percent in March.
And wages have continued to lag as well. Sluggish job growth and weak pay raises threaten to drag on consumer spending. That would weaken growth. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.
Stockpiles at the wholesale level account for about 27 percent of total business inventories. Stockpiles held by retailers make up about one-third of the total. Manufacturing inventories represent about 40 percent of the total.
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