Wholesale Sales Up 1.4% in October, Inventories Down 0.4%

Washington, DC, December 9, 2016—October 2016 sales of merchant wholesalers were $452.2 billion, up 1.4% from the revised September level and were up 2.2% from the October 2015 level, the U.S. Census Bureau announced.

The August 2016 to September 2016 percent change was revised from the preliminary estimate of up 0.2% to up 0.4%.

October sales of durable goods were up 1.1% from last month and were up 2.5% from a year ago. Sales of electrical and electronic goods were up 2.2% from last month and sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum were up 2.0%.

Sales of nondurable goods were up 1.6% from September and were up 1.9% from last October. Sales of farm product raw materials were up 8.3% from last month and sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 6.6%.

Total inventories of merchant wholesalers were $587.7 billion at the end of October, down 0.4% from the revised September level.

Total inventories are down 0.4% from the revised October 2015 level.

The September 2016 to October 2016 percent change was unrevised from the advance estimate of down 0.4%.

October inventories of durable goods were down 0.3% from last month and were down 2.2% from a year ago.

Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were down 1.0% from last month, while inventories of furniture and home furnishings were up 1.6%. Inventories of nondurable goods were down 0.4% from September, but were up 2.5% from last October.

Inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were down 3.2% from last month, while inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 1.9%.

The October inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.30. The October 2015 ratio was 1.33.