Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.1% in December
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that December 2014 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 $449.8 billion, down 0.4 percent (+/-0.9%)* from the revised November level, but were up 1.4 percent (+/-0.9%) from the December 2013 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.6 billion or 0.1 percent. December sales of durable goods were up 1.1 percent (+/-1.4%)* from last month and were up 7.3 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago. Sales of lumber and other construction materials were up 5.4 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were down 1.7 percent (+/-1.1%) from November and were down 3.5 percent (+/-1.9%) from last December. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were down 13.7 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 $547.6 billion at the end of December, up 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from the revised November level and were up 6.7 percent (+/-0.9%) from the December 2013 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.1 billion. December inventories of durable goods were up 0.2 percent (+/-0.5%)* from last month and were up 7.8 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. Inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 2.6 percent from last month. Inventories of nondurable goods were down 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from November, but were up 4.9 percent (+/-1.2%) from last December. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were down 6.2 percent from last month, while inventories of chemicals and allied products were up 3.4 percent.
The December inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.22. The December 2013 ratio was 1.16.
Posted: February 10, 2015 Tuesday 10:00 AM