Wholesale Inventories Rose 0.8% in May, Outpacing Expectations on Nondurable Orders, Petroleum Products

May Wholesale Inventories 0.8% vs 0.3% Expected

UPDATE - More from the U.S. Census Bureau:

Sales. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that May 2015 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 $449.8 billion, up 0.3 percent (+/-0.5)* from the revised April level, but were down 3.8 percent (+/-1.2%) from the May 2014 level. The April preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.2 billion. May sales of durable goods were down 0.1 percent (+/-0.9%)* from last month, but were up 1.6 percent (+/-1.4%) from a year ago. Sales of furniture and home furnishings were down 2.8 percent from last month, while sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 2.2 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.7 percent (+/-0.5%) from April, but were down 8.3 percent (+/-1.6%) from last May. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 4.3 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 $581.9 billion at the end of May, up 0.8 percent (+/-0.4%) from the revised April level and were up 5.0 percent (+/-1.4%) from the May 2014 level. The April preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.1 billion. April inventories of durable goods were up 0.6 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month and were up 6.2 percent (+/-1.6%) from a year ago. Inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 2.5 percent from last month and inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 1.2 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 1.2 percent (+/-0.5%) from April and were up 3.1 percent (+/-1.8%) from last May. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 4.4 percent from last month and inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 2.7 percent.

Inventories/Sales Ratio. The May inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.29. The May 2014 ratio was 1.19.

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