Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.4% in April
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that April 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 $448.3 billion, up 1.6 percent (+/-0.7) from the revised March level, but were down 3.3 percent (+/-1.4%) from the April 2014 level. The March preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.6 billion or 0.1 percent. April sales of durable goods were up 1.2 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month and were up 2.4 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Sales of electrical and electronic goods were up 3.2 percent from last month and sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 3.2 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 2.0 percent (+/-0.7%) from March, but were down 8.2 percent (+/-1.6%) from last April. Sales of farm product raw materials were up 7.4 percent from last month and sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 4.9 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $576.9 billion at the end of April, up 0.4 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised March level and were up 4.5 percent (+/-1.4%) from the April 2014 level. The March preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.2 billion. April inventories of durable goods were up 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were up 6.6 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Inventories of lumber and other construction materials were up 3.4 percent from last month, while inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were down 3.1 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 0.8% (+/-0.5%) from March and were up 1.1 percent (+/-1.6%) from last April. Inventories of paper and paper products were up 3.9 percent from last month and inventories of apparel, piece goods, and notions were up 2.7 percent.
The April inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.29. The April 2014 ratio was 1.19.
Posted: June 9, 2015 Tuesday 10:00 AM