Distrib. Trade Sales & Manu. Shipments Up 7.8% YOY in Aug.

Washington, DC, October 15, 2018-The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for August was estimated at $1,461.9 billion, up 0.5% from July 2018 and was up 7.8% from August 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Manufacturers’ and trade inventories were estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,960.8 billion, up 0.5% from July 2018 and were up 4.2% from August 2017.

The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of August was 1.34. The August 2017 ratio was 1.39.