Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories down 0.3% in February
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that February 2013 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 $422.5 billion, up 1.7 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised January level and were up 3.7 percent (+/-1.1%) from the February 2012 level. The January preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.1 billion. February sales of durable goods were up 0.4 percent (+/-0.7%)* from last month and were up 2.0 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Sales of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 2.3 percent from last month, while sales of electrical and electronic goods were down 2.3 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 2.7 percent (+/-0.9%) from January and were up 5.1 percent (+/-1.4%) from last February. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 10.6 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 $501.4 billion at the end of February, down 0.3 percent (+/-0.2%) from the revised January level, but were up 4.7 percent (+/-1.1%) from the February 2012 level. The January preliminary estimate was revised downward $1.7 billion or 0.3 percent. February inventories of durable goods were up 0.2 percent (+/-0.4%)* from last month and were up 7.5 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. Inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 2.2 percent from last month. Inventories of nondurable goods were down 0.9 percent (+/-0.4%) from January, but were up 0.7 percent (+/-1.4%)* from last February. Inventories of farm product raw materials were down 5.7 percent from last month and inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were down 3.0 percent.
The February inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.19. The February 2012 ratio was 1.18.
Posted: April 9, 2013 Tuesday 10:00 AM