CANADA DATA REACT: March factory sales -9.2% MOM.....>

CANADA DATA REACT: March factory sales -9.2% MOM on heath shutdown, biggest

decline since Dec 2008 during last recession, Statistics Canada says Thursday.

Sales volumes -8.3% MOM.

*Dollar value of CAD50.8b is lowest since June 2016. 

*"Many plants were shut down or faced sharply lower demand during the last two

weeks of the month," StatsCan said. "The March decline in sales is expected to

continue into April."

*Q1 factory sales -4.4%, third consecutive decline.

*"Over three-quarters (78.3%) of establishments in the manufacturing sector

reported that their activities were impacted by COVID-19. Furniture and related

product (91.2%), miscellaneous (88.9%) and transportation equipment (88.3%)

industries reported supply issues."

*Sales in the transportation equipment industry fell by over one-quarter

(-26.5%) to CAD7.6 billion in March; petroleum/coal (-32.2%) to CAD3.9 billion

*Inventory/sales ratio highest since Dec 2008 at 1.72 from 1.56 in Feb. New

orders -11.3%