Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.4% in September
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that September 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 $430.5 billion, up 0.6 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised August level and were up 3.9 percent (+/-3.2%) from the September 2012 level. The August preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.6 billion or 0.1 percent. September sales of durable goods were up 2.1 percent (+/-0.5%) from last month and were up 6.9 percent (+/-4.0%) from a year ago. Sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 8.5 percent from last month and sales of electrical and electronic goods were up 3.8 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were down 0.7 percent (+/-0.9%) from August, but were up 1.4 percent (+/-4.4%) from last September. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were down 2.8 percent from last month and sales of drugs and druggists' sundries were down 1.8 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $506.3 billion at the end of September, up 0.4 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised August level and were up 2.2 percent (+/-4.7%) from the September 2012 level. The August preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.3 billion or 0.3 percent. September inventories of durable goods were up 0.3 percent (+/-0.5%) from last month and were up 5.0 percent (+/-5.8%) from a year ago. Inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 5.6 percent from last month, while inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were down 3.0 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 0.5 percent (+/-0.9%) from August, but were down 2.1 percent (+/-5.4%) from last September. Inventories of beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages were up 2.1 percent from last month.
The September inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.18. The September 2012 ratio was 1.20.
Posted: November 15, 2013 Friday 10:00 AM