What causes an increase in the inventory stock?
An increase in inventory stock is caused by two factors:
(i) Unexpected fall in demand in the current year. Example: Producers may have expected demand to the tune of 50,000 umbrellas but, owing to the failure of monsoon, only 10,000 umbrellas are sold during a year. Accordingly, 40,000 umbrellas are added to the existing stock.
(ii) An expected rise in demand in the near future: Producers may expect a spurt in demand (and therefore, an increase in price) in the near future. Accordingly, they pile up stocks during the current year.