The U.S. Census Bureau announced February 9 that December 2009 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 $341.2 billion, up 0.8 percent (+/-0.9 percent) from the revised November level and were up 5.7 percent (+/-1.4 percent) from the December 2008 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.9 billion or 0.3 percent. December sales of durable goods were up 3.0 percent (+/-1.6 percent) from last month and were up 2.3 percent (+/-2.6 percent) from a year ago. Compared to last month, sales of machinery, equipment, and supplies were up 7.5 percent and sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were up 5.7 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were down 0.8 percent (+/-1.1 percent) from last month, but were up 8.8 percent (+/-1.6 percent) from last year. Sales of farm product raw materials were down 14.1 percent and sales of drugs and druggists' sundries were down 3.3 percent from last month.
Inventories:Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $383.6 billion at the end of December, down 0.8 percent (+/-0.5 percent) from the revised November level and were down 10.2 percent (+/-1.2 percent) from a year ago. The November preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.4 billion or 0.1 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were down 1.1 percent (+/-0.7 percent) from last month and were down 15.9 percent (+/-1.4 percent) from last December.
Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were down 3.1 percent from last month and inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were down 2.5 percent. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods decreased 0.3 percent (+/-0.5 percent) from November and were down 0.2 percent (+/-1.4 percent) compared to last December. Inventories of farm product raw materials were down 4.5 percent from last month, while inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 3.6 percent.
Inventories/Sales Ratio:The December inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.12. The December 2008 ratio was 1.32.
