Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories Up 1.1% in September
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that September 2012 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 $414.0 billion, up 2.0 percent (+/-0.7) from the revised August level and were up 4.4 percent (+/-0.9%) from the September 2011 level. The August preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.5 billion or 0.1 percent. September sales of durable goods were up 1.2 percent (+/-0.9%) from last month and were up 2.8 percent (+/-1.2%) from a year ago. Sales of electrical and electronic goods were up 3.7 percent from last month and sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum were up 2.5 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 2.7 percent (+/-0.9%) from August and were up 5.7 percent (+/-1.2%) from last September. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 8.3 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 $494.2 billion at the end of September, up 1.1 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised August level and were up 7.5 percent (+/- 1.2%) from the September 2011 level. The August preliminary estimate was revised upward $1.3 billion or 0.3 percent. September inventories of durable goods were up 0.9 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were up 8.2 percent (+/-1.1%) from a year ago. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were up 1.9 percent from last month and inventories of machinery, equipment, and supplies were up 1.5 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 1.4 percent (+/-0.5%) from August and were up 6.5 percent (+/-2.6%) from last September. Inventories of farm product raw materials were up 7.3 percent from last month and inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 5.5 percent.
The September inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.19. The September 2011 ratio was 1.16.
Posted: November 9, 2012 Friday 10:00 AM