File: Wholesale trade sales and inventories. (Photo: Bureau of Labor Statistics/ BLS)
The U.S. Census Bureau on Friday released wholesale trade statistics showing sales and inventories continued to build solidly in August.
Total wholesale inventories — or, merchant wholesalers excluding manufacturers’ sales branches and offices — came in at $608.1 billion at the end of August, a 0.9% (±0.2%) gain from the revised July level. The median forecast called for a 1.0% gain.
Total inventories rose 4.5% (±0.7%) from the revised August 2016 level. The July 2017 to August 2017 percent change was revised down slightly from the advance estimate of up 1.0% (±0.2 percent) to up 0.9% (±0.2%).
Sales were $473.4 billion, up 1.7% (±0.4%) from the revised July reading and are up 7.2% (±1.1%) from the August 2016 level. The June 2017 to July 2017 percent change was revised from the preliminary estimate of down 0.1% (±0.2%)* to virtually unchanged (±0.2%).
The inventories/sales ratio for August based on seasonally adjusted data was 1.28. The August 2016 ratio was 1.32.
