Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories down 0.1% in December
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that December 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 $418.9 billion, virtually unchanged (+/-0.5)* from the revised November level, but were up 3.7 percent (+/-1.1%) from the December 2011 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.6 billion or 0.1 percent. December sales of durable goods were down 0.9 percent (+/-1.1%)* from last month, but were up 0.9 percent (+/-1.4%)* from a year ago. Sales of professional and commercial equipment and supplies were down 2.3 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.8 percent (+/-0.5%) from November and were up 6.1 percent (+/-1.6%) from last December. Sales of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 4.8 percent from last month and sales of beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages were up 1.8 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $497.7 billion at the end of December, down 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from the revised November level, but were up 5.5 percent (+/-1.2%) from the December 2011 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.7 billion or 0.1 percent. December inventories of durable goods were up 0.2 percent (+/-0.5%)* from last month and were up 7.7 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Inventories of electrical and electronic goods were up 2.6 percent from last month, while inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were down 3.8 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were down 0.6 percent (+/-0.5%) from November, but were up 2.4 percent (+/-1.9%) from last December. Inventories of farm product raw materials were down 6.0 percent from last month and inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were down 4.3 percent.
The December inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.19. The December 2011 ratio was 1.17.
Posted: February 8, 2013 Friday 10:00 AM