1.   Companies that increase inventories are adding costs and temporarily depressing earnings.

2.   Computer makers have increased inventories in expectation of consumer demand, analysts said.

3.   Cost Plus has increased its inventory of private-label gourmet items, like fancy pastas and oils.

4.   Efforts are under way to increase inventories of smallpox vaccines.

5.   Furniture inventories also increased, reflecting a slowdown in homebuilding as the backlog of vacant new homes hovered near a five-year high.

6.   Furniture inventories also increased, reflecting a qslowdown in homebuilding as the backlog of vacant new homes hovered near a five-year high.

7.   He said the higher-than-expected growth was partly the result of companies increasing their inventories.

8.   Higher imports and continued brisk production will likely be needed to maintain or increase inventories, the report said.

9.   If crude oil prices fall and stay down, refiners could prove more willing to increase their inventories, which could help lower heating oil prices.

10.   Many dealers, however, have increased their inventories of the targeted imports in anticipation of the crackdown and would probably not suffer losses immediately.