Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.1% in July
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that July 2014 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 $458.6 billion, up 0.7 percent (+/-0.5) from the revised June level and were up 7.5 percent (+/-1.8%) from the July 2013 level. The June preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent. July sales of durable goods were up 0.4 percent (+/-0.9%)* from last month and were up 8.0 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. Sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum were up 4.5 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were up 1.0 percent (+/-0.7%) from June and were up 7.2 percent (+/-2.8%) from last July. Sales of grocery and related products were up 2.9 percent from last month and sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 2.6 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $533.8 billion at the end of July, up 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from the revised June level and were up 7.9 percent (+/-0.7%) from the July 2013 level. The June preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.5 billion or 0.1 percent. July inventories of durable goods were up 0.3 percent (+/-0.2%) from last month and were up 8.4 percent (+/-1.2%) from a year ago. Inventories of hardware and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies were up 1.8 percent from last month, while inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were down 4.0 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were virtually unchanged (+/-0.7%)* from June, but were up 7.0 percent (+/-1.2%) from last July. Inventories of farm product raw materials were down 8.2 percent from last month, while inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 3.2 percent.
The July inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.16. The July 2013 ratio was 1.16.
Posted: September 10, 2014 Wednesday 10:00 AM