Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.5% in August
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that August 2010 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 $352.4 billion, up 0.5 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised July level and were up 12.4 percent (+/-1.4%) from the August 2009 level. The July preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.6 billion or 0.2 percent. August sales of durable goods were up 0.5 percent (+/-1.1%) from last month and were up 14.4 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.5 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month and were up 10.8 percent (+/-1.8%) from last year. Sales of farm product raw materials were up 9.1 percent from last month and sales of chemicals and allied 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 $409.4 billion at the end of August, up 0.8 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised July level and were up 5.0 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. The July preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.1 billion or 0.3 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were up 0.6 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were up 2.3 percent (+/-1.8%) from last August. Inventories of furniture and home furnishings were up 1.8 percent from last month and hardware, plumbing and heating equipment and supplies were up 1.8 percent. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods were up 1.2 percent (+/-0.4%) from July and were up 9.2 percent (+/-2.3%) compared to last August. Inventories of farm product raw materials were up 7.3 percent from last month and inventories of apparel, piece goods, and notions were up 2.4 percent.
The August inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.16. The August 2009 ratio was 1.24.
Posted: October 8, 2010 Friday 10:00 AM