Highlights
Wholesale inventories rose 0.8 percent in January, far below a 2.7 percent jump in sales at the wholesale level. Businesses are more concerned than ever that inventories may begin to build as the economy slows, evident here in the cautious increase in inventories relative to sales. The inventory-to-sales ratio dropped 2 full tenths in the month and back to a record low 1.07. Inventories of nondurables, boosted by high food prices, rose 1.2 percent, with durable inventories also increasing, up 0.6 percent despite a 0.7 percent decline in autos.

Factory inventories, which have already been reported, rose 1.3 percent in January in data less benign that does suggest the risk of overhang. Overhang is also a risk in the retail sector, where inventory data will be released in the business inventories report on Thursday.

2008 Release Schedule

Released On: 1/10 2/8 3/10 4/9 5/8 6/6 7/8 8/8 9/9 10/9 11/7 12/10 Released For: Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct