Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.1% in March
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that March 2016 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 $430.7 billion, up 0.7 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised February level, but were down 2.0 percent (+/-1.4%) from the March 2015 level. The February preliminary estimate was virtually unchanged. March sales of durable goods were down 0.2 percent (+/-0.7%)* from last month and were down 0.4 percent (+/-1.9%)* from a year ago. Sales of hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies were down 2.2 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were up 1.6 percent (+/-0.7%) from February, but were down 3.5 percent (+/-1.9%) from last March. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 13.5 percent from last month and sales of farm product raw materials were up 2.7 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $583.6 billion at the end of March, up 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from the revised February level and were up 0.3 percent (+/-1.6%)* from the March 2015 level. The February preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.5 billion or 0.1 percent. March inventories of durable goods were down 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from last month and were down 2.2 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were down 2.0 percent from last month, while inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 1.0 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 0.5 percent (+/-0.7%)* from February and were up 4.6 percent (+/-1.9%) from last March. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 3.3 percent from last month and inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 2.0 percent.
The March inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.36. The March 2015 ratio was 1.32.
Posted: May 10, 2016 Tuesday 10:00 AM