Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories down 0.2% in November
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that November 2010 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 $370.1 billion, up 1.9 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised October level and were up 12.2 percent (+/-1.4%) from the November 2009 level. The October preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.2 billion or 0.3 percent. November sales of durable goods were up 1.7 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month and were up 12.6 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. Compared to last month, sales of hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies were up 5.5 percent and sales of electrical and electronic goods were up 3.2 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 2.1 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month and were up 11.8 percent (+/-1.9%) from last year. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 7.1 percent from last month and sales of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 3.1 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $425.5 billion at the end of November, down 0.2 percent (+/-0.4%)* from the revised October level, but were up 8.4 percent (+/-1.2%) from a year ago. The October preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were up 0.3 percent (+/-0.5%)* from last month and were up 5.5 percent (+/-1.4%) from last November. Inventories of motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 1.9 percent, while inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were down 1.8 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods decreased 0.9 percent (+/-0.5%) from October, but were up 12.7 percent (+/-2.6%) compared to last November. Inventories of farm product raw materials were down 6.8 percent from last month.
The November inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.15. The November 2009 ratio was 1.19.
Posted: January 11, 2011 Tuesday 10:00 AM