WASHINGTON (AP) — 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% at the wholesale level in April, double the March gain. Sales by wholesale businesses jumped 1.1% 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% 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%.
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 consumers and businesses.
Weaker job creation in April and May could force some to scale back spending. And pay has risen just 1.7% 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% 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% of total business inventories. Stockpiles held by retailers make up about one-third of the total. Manufacturing inventories represent about 40% of the total.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Death of a village: faint voice tells of wholesale slaughter - The Age
Grim scene: Children lie covered in white sheets stained with red paint, mimicking blood, during a protest by peace campaigners in Beirut. Photo: Reuters
A survivor tells of 'family after family' being murdered by Assad loyalists. Ruth Sherlock reports from Beirut.
A survivor tells of 'family after family' being murdered by Assad loyalists. Ruth Sherlock reports from Beirut.
THE voice of Laith al-Hemary's brother whispered on the mobile phone: ''There are shouts and screams coming from outside. They are killing everyone they find.''
Then the line went dead. This was the last time Mr Hemary, 30, spoke to his brother before he was killed inside the family home in the Syrian hamlet of al-Qubayr on Wednesday.
He was among 78 victims believed to have died in a frenzied onslaught in the village, about 24 kilometres from the city of Hama. The full horror of the atrocity was disclosed in videos of mutilated children's bodies and charred corpses.
In a few hours, almost the entire population of al-Qubayr was massacred in what appears to have been one of the bloodiest incidents since the start of the Syrian uprising. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were responsible, said opposition activists.
They said regular forces were working in tandem with a pro-government militia, known as shabiha, recruited largely from Mr Assad's minority Alawite sect.
The regime's troops began the attack with a heavy artillery barrage, said the activists. Then shabiha militiamen entered the hamlet armed with sticks, guns and knives.
They attacked homes and farmhouses, shooting and slaughtering all the inhabitants they could find.
Mr Hemary and his cousin were among only a handful of survivors.
''I could see thick smoke rising from Qubayr,'' he said. ''I called my brother constantly on the mobile. He was hiding in our home. He told me cars full of shabiha had come to the village and were attacking everyone and burning houses.''
At 5.10pm local time, three hours after the attack began, Mr Hemary's brother's voice died away and he stopped answering his calls.
Pushing open the door of his home several hours later, Mr Hemary found the bloodied bodies of his mother, three sisters and three brothers on the ground.
''They had been beaten on the head by sticks and stabbed with knives,'' he said. ''I went to other homes. I saw family after family slaughtered by knives.''
Another witness, Abu Hisham al-Hamawi, whose home is on the outskirts of al-Qubayr, said that minutes before the attack he witnessed shabiha militiamen from nearby Alawite villages pass by his home on their way to al-Qubayr.
''I knew some of them from school,'' he said. ''I know their names. I know their villages. I know exactly who they are. They are shabiha, no doubt.''
He said al-Qubayr had not been a politically active area during the 16-month Syrian uprising, nor had it been a stronghold of the Free Syrian Army, which continues to battle Syrian loyalist forces.
''This is a farming community,'' he said. ''They are very poor people, a lot of them are shepherds. There are only a few families in the village and all of them are now dead.''
Al-Qubayr is near four Alawite villages, placing it in the demographically sensitive heart of Syria's uprising. ''But we have never had a problem with them before now,'' said Mr Hamawi.
''We have not even had a relationship, or any tensions.''
A former soldier who joined the rebel Free Syrian Army said he reached the village within hours of the massacre but left quickly because government troops were still in the area. ''I went into houses and saw children without a head and others without arms,'' he said.
The number of victims could not be confirmed but people from the nearby village of Maarzaf said they had buried 57 corpses. A further 30 bodies were missing and had not yet been buried, said activists.
With almost no foreign reporters in Syria, the accounts cannot be independently verified.
TELEGRAPH, GUARDIAN
Webb: Wholesale Prices Modestly Lower in May - Auto Remarketing
May marked a 0.8-percent decline in wholesale prices, and just one major market class showed a year-over-year gain in value during the month, according to Manheim’s Tom Webb, who offered his analysis in the latest Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index report.
Overall, the index was at 125.1 for May, compared to 126.1 in April.
“The year-over-year decline increased to 2.1 percent as the comparison was made against the Index's all-time high reading,” Webb explained.
“In May, the economy weakened and new-vehicle sales failed to meet expectations, but the volume of used vehicles retailed continued to rise, and dealership profits on those sales were strong,” he added.
Breaking the data down by segment, the only major market class to see an uptick in used values was the pickup category. Webb emphasized volume is tight for this class, particularly mid-mileage models. Meanwhile, compact car movements told a different story.
“Compact cars have the largest year-over-year decline in pricing, but that is simply because the comparison is against the record levels achieved in May of last year,” Webb stated. “Sellers are still achieving prices that they wouldn't have dreamed of three years ago.”
Sharing more analysis, Webb also pointed out that rental risk units, interestingly enough, had their strongest May on record for used prices, despite declining more than 3 percent from April.
“Auction volumes for rental risk vehicles continued to run well above year-ago levels. Average mileage was the same as April, but down 8 percent from May 2011,” he noted.
US wholesale stockpiles grew 0.6 percent in April - AP - msnbc.com
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.
Wholesale Summer Headwear From Got Apparel - Owen Sound Sun Times
Visors
Visor is perhaps the first thing that comes to our head when planning to go out to play or watch a ball game. In situations when you want to feel light yet have eyes protected from sunrays, a visor fulfills the need. Visor is a very convenient headgear to keep sun from eyes and forehead. Professional and armature golfers wear visors as their signature style of being a golfer. Most visors are made of polyester and cotton to ensure comfort and practicality for the wearer.
Bandanas
Bandana is a popular piece of headgear. It’s a square or triangular piece of cloth worn on head for style and to protect head from beating sun. Bandanas are very popular among bikers and hikers. It helps them keeping their hair tied to avoid any distraction when ridding or doing any activity that demands full concentration. In fact many national sportsmen wear bandanas as an essential requirement for continuous performance in the field. Different colors of bandanas allow the wearer to make a unique fashion statement. It is one of the most popular headwear in the summer for youth and mature and people.
Baseball Caps
Baseball cap is the third most popular headwear in all seasons of the year. As the name suggests, the origin of these caps can be traced back to baseball caps. The uniqueness and popularity of the game allowed baseball cap to enter mainstream clothing and became a hot summer item. Baseball caps with a round crown and pointing brim make them very desirable for youngsters and the game lovers. Baseball caps, as a headwear, give the wearer a reliable protection from sun in summers. US Navy and US Coast Guards recognize this performance factor and have used baseball caps as an essential part of their uniforms. Baseball caps are also used by various notable armed and security forces around the world.
Summer headwear should be purchased knowing the functions of your preferred headwear and how it complements to your personal unique style. These three items of summer headwear go along with most styles and personalities with no compromise on the comfort summers demand.
West Cumbria shopping arcade all set for go-ahead - News and Star
Last updated at 15:26, Friday, 08 June 2012
Plans for a shopping arcade which would create 30 jobs in Cockermouth town centre look set to be approved next week.
Cockermouth town council snubbed plans to build the arcade of shops, offices and a cafe in Station Street when they met last week.
But Allerdale Council’s development panel members are being recommended to approve the proposal, by Mitchells, when they meet on Tuesday.
Mitchells wants to transform Tithe House, which housed the former JobCentre, into the arcade, but town councillors say that empty shops on Main Street should be filled first.
Five letters of objections have been submitted to the council, with concerns over the access to the centre being dangerous, competition to other town businesses and the fact that there are empty shop units in Cockermouth.
Cockermouth Civic Trust has also objected to the proposals saying it will be in direct competition with shops on Main Street.
However, John Rockcliffe, Mitchells director and head of its land agency,said that he didn’t see the arcade as competition for the Main Street businesses because they were in a prime location.
“If we get the go-ahead, 30 jobs will be quite a boost for the town,” added Mr Rockcliffe.
Mark Wise, Mitchells director and auctioneer, said it would “help broaden the town centre and bring people up to this end of town and increase the whole retail experience.”
The Tithe House building provided a lifeline for Cockermouth businesses after the November 2009 floods.
It became known as Main Street at Mitchells when local traders took up the company’s invitation to open units there.
In its planning application, Mitchells said it had looked at a number of empty units in Station Street, Main Street, Market Place, Market Street and Castlegate, but none had the floor space required by the company.
It said it wanted a high quality, modern retail facility that would increase consumer choice, improve the range of facilities and bring investment into the town without having a significant adverse impact on trade or turnover in the town.
Mr Rockliffe said the arcade would be aimed at traders wanting small retail units with a short lease, as they could not afford the high prices and longer leases of units elsewhere.
JBarwise@cngroup.co.uk
First published at 11:26, Friday, 08 June 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
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