Research >> Economics
Wholesale Inventories up 0.5% in April
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that April 2013 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 $416.6 billion, up 0.5 percent (+/-0.5%)* from the revised March level and were up 0.7 percent (+/-3.2%)* from the April 2012 level. The March preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent. April sales of durable goods were up 1.6 percent (+/-1.1%) from last month and were up 4.2 percent (+/-4.0%) from a year ago. Sales of furniture and home furnishings were up 5.1 percent from last month and sales of machinery, equipment, and supplies were up 5.0 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were down 0.5 percent (+/-0.4%) from March and were down 2.2 percent (+/-3.9%)* from last April. Sales of apparel, piece goods, and notions were down 6.0 percent from last month and sales of petroleum and petroleum products were down 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 $504.8 billion at the end of April, up 0.2 percent (+/-0.2%)* from the revised March level and were up 4.1 percent (+/-4.7%)* from the April 2012 level. The March preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.4 billion or 0.1 percent. April inventories of durable goods were up 0.2 percent (+/-0.4%)* from last month and were up 5.9 percent (+/-5.6%) from a year ago. Inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 1.9 percent from last month, while inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were down 1.1 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 0.1 percent (+/-0.4%)* from March and were up 1.4 percent (+/-5.8%)* from last April. Inventories of beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages were up 2.3 percent from last month.
The April inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.21. The April 2012 ratio was 1.17.
Posted: June 11, 2013 Tuesday 10:00 AM