Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories down 1.7% in June
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that June 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 $313.1 billion, up 0.4 percent (+/-0.7%) from the revised May level, but were down 21.0 percent (+/-1.4%) from the June 2008 level. The May preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent. June sales of durable goods were up 0.7 percent (+/-0.9%) from last month, but were down 22.9 percent (+/-1.9%) from a year ago. Sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 4.5 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.1 percent (+/-1.1%) from last month, but were down 19.4 percent (+/-1.6%) from last year. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 7.1 percent from last month, while sales of drugs and duggists' sundries were down 4.7 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $393.9 billion at the end of June, down 1.7 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised May level and were down 10.3 percent (+/-1.2%) from a year ago. The May preliminary estimate was revised downward $1.4 billion or 0.4 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were down 1.5 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were down 10.4 percent (+/-1.4%) from last June. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were down 6.2 percent from last month and inventories of lumber and other construction materials were down 2.5 percent. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods were down 2.0 (+/-0.7%) from May and were down 10.2 percent (+/-1.6%) compared to last June. Inventories of farm product raw materials were down 11.6 percent from last month and inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were down 2.7 percent.
The June inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.26. The June 2008 ratio was 1.11.
Posted: August 11, 2009 Tuesday 10:00 AM