Retail Inventories Rise Slightly, Wholesale Inventories Up Sharply

Retail inventories rose 0.4 percent in February and follow a 0.7 percent build in January. These results together with a large build in the wholesale sector and a build underway in manufacturing point to a positive inventory contribution to first-quarter GDP.

...meanwhile...

Wholesale inventories rose a very sharp 1.1 percent in February which is more than double Econoday's consensus and comes on top of an upwardly revised 1.0 percent build in January. These results are consistent with economic strength and together with builds for retail and durable goods in manufacturing, they point to a positive inventory contribution to first-quarter GDP.