Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 1.1% in March
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that March 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 $392.0 billion, up 2.9 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised February level and were up 15.4 percent (+/-1.2%) from the March 2010 level. The February preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.9 billion or 0.5 percent. March sales of durable goods were up 2.3 percent (+/-0.9%) from last month and were up 13.6 percent (+/-2.1%) from a year ago. Sales of lumber and other construction materials were up 7.3 percent from last month and sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were up 6.7 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 3.4 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month and were up 16.8 percent (+/-1.4%) from last year. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 7.9 percent from last month and sales of chemicals and allied products were up 6.3 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $442.9 billion at the end of March, up 1.1 percent (+/-0.2%) from the revised February level and were up 13.3 percent (+/-1.2%) from a year ago. The February preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.1 billion. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were up 0.4 percent (+/-0.4%)* from last month and were up 8.8 percent (+/-1.2%) from last March. Inventories of machinery, equipment, and supplies were up 2.3 percent from last month, while inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were down 3.9 percent. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods were up 2.0 percent (+/-0.4%) from February and were up 19.9 percent (+/-2.3%) compared to last March. Inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 3.0 percent from last month and inventories of chemicals and allied products were up 2.7 percent.
The March inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.13. The March 2010 ratio was 1.15.
Posted: May 10, 2011 Tuesday 10:00 AM