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Wholesale Inventories up 1.0% in December
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that December 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 $371.5 billion, up 0.4 percent (+/-0.7%)* from the revised November level and were up 11.6 percent (+/-1.8%) from the December 2009 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.1 billion. December sales of durable goods were up 1.3 percent (+/-1.6%)* from last month and were up 11.6 percent (+/-2.3%) from a year ago. Compared to last month, sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 2.3 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were down 0.3 percent (+/-0.9%)* from last month, but were up 11.7 percent (+/-2.1%) from last year. Sales of farm product raw materials were down 6.1 percent from last month, while sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 3.0 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $430.5 billion at the end of December, up 1.0 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised November level and were up 10.5 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. The November preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were up 0.8 percent (+/-0.5%) from last month and were up 7.8 percent (+/-1.4%) from last December. Inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 1.6 percent and inventories of professional and commercial equipment and supplies were up 1.2 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods increased 1.2 percent (+/-0.7%) from November and were up 14.5 percent (+/-2.5%) compared to last December. Inventories of beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages were up 3.6 percent from last month and inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 2.7 percent.
The December inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.16. The December 2009 ratio was 1.17.
Posted: February 10, 2011 Thursday 10:00 AM