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Wholesale Inventories down 0.1% in December
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that December 2015 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 $440.0 billion, down 0.3 percent (+/-0.9%) from the revised November level and were down 4.5 percent (+/-1.4%) from the December 2014 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised downward $1.3 billion or 0.3 percent. December sales of durable goods were up 0.3 percent (+/-1.1%) from last month, but were down 3.0 percent (+/-2.1%) from a year ago. Sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 2.5 percent from last month, while sales of electrical and electronic goods were down 1.9 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were down 0.9 percent (+/-1.1%) from November and were down 5.9 percent (+/-1.8%) from last December. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were down 4.5 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 $582.0 billion at the end of December, down 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised November level, but were up 1.9 percent (+/-1.6%) from the December 2014 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.1 billion. December inventories of durable goods were down 0.3 percent (+/-0.5%) from last month, but were up 0.5 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were down 4.4 percent from last month. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 0.1 percent (+/-0.7%) from November and were up 4.1 percent (+/-2.1%) from last December. Inventories of chemicals and allied products were up 2.3 percent from last month, while inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were down 7.8 percent.
The December inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.32. The December 2014 ratio was 1.24.
Posted: February 9, 2016 Tuesday 10:00 AM