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Wholesale Inventories down 0.1% in January
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that January 2013 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 $415.4 billion, down 0.8 percent (+/-7%) from the revised December level, but were up 3.0 percent (+/-1.1%) from the January 2012 level. The December preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.1 billion. January sales of durable goods were up 0.7 percent (+/-1.4%)* from last month and were up 2.3 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Sales of hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies were up 3.2 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were down 2.1 percent (+/-0.7%) from December, but were up 3.6 percent (+/-1.1%) from last January. Sales of farm product raw materials were down 7.2 percent from last month and sales of petroleum and petroleum products were down 4.5 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $504.4 billion at the end of January, up 1.2 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised December level and were up 6.5 percent (+/-1.2%) from the January 2012 level. The December preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.0 billion or 0.2 percent. January inventories of durable goods were up 1.1 percent (+/-0.5%) from last month and were up 8.3 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Inventories of lumber and other construction materials were up 3.4 percent from last month and inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 3.2 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 1.2 percent (+/-0.7%) from December and were up 4.0 percent (+/-1.6%) from last January. Inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 6.2 percent from last month and inventories of grocery and related products were up 2.1 percent.
The January inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.21. The January 2012 ratio was 1.17.
Posted: March 8, 2013 Friday 10:00 AM