Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories down 0.8% in May
|
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that May 2009 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 $311.3 billion, up 0.2 percent (+/-0.5%)* from the revised April level, but were down 19.9 percent (+/-1.4%) from the May 2008 level. The April preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.4 billion or 0.4 percent. May sales of durable goods were down 0.2 percent (+/-0.7%)* from last month and were down 23.0 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum were down 8.1 percent for last month, while motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 4.4 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.5 percent (+/-0.9%)* from last month, but were down 17.2 percent (+/-1.8%) from last year. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 4.6 percent from last month and sales of drugs and duggists' sundries were up 1.4 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $402.2 billion at the end of May, down 0.8 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised April level and were down 7.6 percent (+/-1.2%) from a year ago. The April preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.2 billion. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were down 1.5 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were down 8.2 percent (+/-1.6%) from last May. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were down 5.2 percent from last month and inventories of lumber and other construction materials were down 3.2 percent. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods were up 0.3 (+/-0.7%)* from April, but were down 6.6 percent (+/-1.6%) compared to last May. Inventories of farm product raw materials were up 6.1 percent from last month, while inventories of paper and paper products were down 2.2 percent.
The May inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except anufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.29. The May 2008 ratio was 1.12.
Posted: July 9, 2009 Thursday 10:00 AM