Estimation of Fire Loss On January 20, 2008 the records of the Stewart Company revealed the following information:

Inventory, July 1, 2007

$53,600

Purchases discounts taken

$5,800

Purchases, July 1, 2007–January 20, 2008

368,000

Freight in

3,800

Sales, July 1, 2007–January 20, 2008

583,000

Sales returns

6,600

Purchases returns

11,200

A fire destroyed the entire inventory on January 20, 2008 except for purchases in transit, FOB shipping point, of $6,000 and goods having a selling price of $4,700 that were salvaged from the fire. The salvaged goods had an estimated salvage value of $2,900. The average gross profit on net sales in previous periods was 40%.

Required

1. Compute the cost of the inventory lost in the fire.

2. If a company discloses that it uses a periodic inventory system, what concerns might you have about its interim financial statements?