Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.4% in August
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that August 2011 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 $401.3 billion, up 1.0 percent (+/-0.7) from the revised July level and were up 15.2 percent (+/-0.7%) from the August 2010 level. The July preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.3 billion or 0.3 percent. August sales of durable goods were up 2.3 percent (+/-1.1%) from last month and were up 14.3 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Sales of lumber and other construction materials were up 3.9 percent from last month and sales of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 2.6 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were down 0.1 percent (+/-0.9%) from July, but were up 15.9 percent (+/-1.4%) from last August. Sales of farm product raw materials were down 3.5 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 $464.3 billion at the end of August, up 0.4 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised July level and were up 14.4 percent (+/-1.1%) from the August 2010 level. The July preliminary estimate was virtually unchanged. August inventories of durable goods were up 1.1 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were up 12.5 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. Inventories of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 4.5 percent from last month and electrical and electronic goods were up 1.3 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were down 0.6 percent (+/-0.7%) from July, but were up 17.1 percent (+/-1.9%) from last August. Inventories of paper and paper products were down 4.0 percent from last month and inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were down 2.8 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 2010 ratio was 1.17.
Posted: October 7, 2011 Friday 10:00 AM