++++ Vielleicht war das der Grund, warum es heute in USA wieder aufwärts ging ++++ - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[Troddel]

... vielleicht wußte das schon jemand ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. business inventories increased unexpectedly in May as sales slumped, notching their first rise in 16 months and raising hopes a long-awaited restocking of shelves would help boost the economy.

Inventories at retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers rose 0.2 percent in May after dropping 0.2 percent a month earlier, the Commerce Department said on Monday. It was the first inventory rise since a matching 0.2 percent gain in January 2001.

"It looks like the massive liquidation of inventories that has plagued the economy for a year and a half, almost two years, is winding down," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com.

The surprise increase -- Wall Street had been looking for a 0.1 percent drop -- came as sales slid 0.4 percent after a strong 1.7 percent gain in April. With sales off and stocks up, the inventories-to-sales ratio -- a measure of how many months it would take to sell off inventories at the current sales pace -- ticked up to 1.36 in May from 1.35 in April.

As the economy braked sharply and fell into recession last year, businesses found themselves with unwanted goods on their shelves and their efforts to cut stocks deepened the downturn.

Inventories-to-sales ratios now are hovering near historic lows and many economists expect production to pick up as firms try to restock depleted shelves.

While a drop in sales is not a businessman`s preferred method of boosting inventories, analysts noted that sales have picked up since May.

"May was a tough month for sales; we know that sales picked up in June," Zandi said. "We need to see continued increases in sales, but with these very lean inventories and sales holding their own I think the foundation for a sounder economy are coming into place."

The report bolstered widespread views that the economic recovery, if sluggish, is on track. But the markets shrugged off the data, continuing to focus on corporate misdeeds.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down for the sixth straight session, shedding 45.34 points to end at 8639.19, but the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite closed up 8.99 points at 1382.49.

The largest increase in inventories came at the retail level. Retailers` stocks rose 1.0 percent in May as sales fell 1.2 percent. It was the biggest rise in retail inventories since a 1.2 percent gain in June 2000.

Auto inventories helped fuel that rise, increasing 2.5 percent -- their biggest gain since June 2000 as well. Stocks of furniture were also a factor, gaining 1.9 percent.

The report showed wholesale inventories up 0.1 percent, but manufacturers` stocks dropped 0.4 percent.

The unexpected inventory rise led some to predict that economists would jack up estimates for second-quarter growth.

"This would probably add a quarter to a half a percentage point to analysts` estimates for Q2 (second-quarter) growth," said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson Associates.

The government releases its first snapshot of second- quarter growth on July 31.

[Troddel]

Nachtrag: vor dieser Meldung hätte ich morgen bis 11:00 meine Dax-Calls verkauft, mit denen ich mich heute bös verschätzt habe. Nun vielleicht nicht...