Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories down 0.1% in October
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that October 2015 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 $448.0 billion, virtually unchanged (+/-0.5%)* from the revised September level, but were down 3.7 percent (+/-1.4%) from the October 2014 level. The September preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.2 billion. October sales of durable goods were down 0.8 percent (+/-0.9%)* from last month and were down 2.2 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago. Sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were down 2.6 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.7 percent (+/-0.9%)* from September, but were down 5.1 percent (+/-1.8%) from last October. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 2.9 percent from last month and sales of paper and paper products were up 1.5 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $585.9 billion at the end of October, down 0.1 percent (+/-0.5%)* from the revised September level, but were up 3.6 percent (+/-1.6%) from the October 2014 level. The September preliminary estimate was revised downward $1.5 billion or 0.3 percent. October inventories of durable goods were down 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from last month, but were up 2.5 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were down 1.1 percent from last month, while inventories of electrical and electronic goods were up 0.6 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were down 0.1 percent (+/-1.4%)* from September, but were up 5.4 percent (+/-2.1%) from last October. Inventories of farm product raw materials were down 5.2 percent from last month, while inventories of paper and paper products were up 1.6 percent.
The October inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.31. The October 2014 ratio was 1.22.
Posted: December 9, 2015 Wednesday 10:00 AM