Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 1.6% in October
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that October 2011 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 $406.0 billion, up 0.9 percent (+/-0.7) from the revised September level and were up 13.1 percent (+/-0.9%) from the October 2010 level. The September preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent. October sales of durable goods were down 0.1 percent (+/-1.2%)* from last month, but were up 12.4 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. Sales of nondurable goods were up 1.7 percent (+/-1.1%) from September and were up 13.5 percent (+/-1.2%) from last October. Sales of farm product raw materials were up 11.7 percent from last month and sales of apparel, piece goods, and notions were up 2.2 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $470.2 billion at the end of October, up 1.6 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised September level and were up 10.9 percent (+/-1.1%) from the October 2010 level. The September preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent. October inventories of durable goods were up 0.8 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were up 11.6 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were up 1.8 percent from last month and inventories of electrical and electronic goods were up 1.3 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 2.8 percent (+/-0.9%) from September and were up 9.8 percent (+/-1.6%) from last October. Inventories of farm product raw materials were up 14.4 percent from last month and inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 5.7 percent.
The October inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.16. The October 2010 ratio was 1.18.
Posted: December 8, 2011 Thursday 10:00 AM