Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.9% in February
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that February 2012 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $409.4 billion, up 1.2 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised January level and were up 9.3 percent (+/-1.1%) from the February 2011 level. The January preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent. February sales of durable goods were up 0.9 percent (+/-0.9%)* from last month and were up 12.1 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Sales of hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies were up 3.7 percent from last month and sales of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 2.3 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 1.4 percent (+/-0.7%) from January and were up 7.1 percent (+/-1.4%) from last February. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 3.9 percent from last month.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $478.9 billion at the end of February, up 0.9 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised January level and were up 9.3 percent (+/-1.1%) from the February 2011 level. The January preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.2 billion or 0.2 percent. February inventories of durable goods were up 0.5 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were up 10.2 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago. Inventories of machinery, equipment, and supplies were up 1.9 percent from last month. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 1.4 percent (+/-0.5%) from January and were up 8.2 percent (+/-1.4%) from last February. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 5.6 percent from last month and inventories of farm product raw materials were up 2.1 percent.
The February inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.17. The February 2011 ratio was 1.17.
Posted: April 10, 2012 Tuesday 10:00 AM