April 2009

February 2009 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, were $319.7 billion, up 0.6% from January and down 14.3% from February 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
 
The January preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.7 billion or 0.2%. February sales of durable goods were up 2.0% from last month, but were down 14.8% from a year ago. Compared to last month, sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 3.7%, while sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were down 5.6%. Sales of nondurable goods were down 0.4% from last month and were down 13.8% from last year. Sales of chemicals and allied products were down 4.6% from last month.
 
Inventories
Total inventories of merchant …

The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index decreased 0.4% in February to a seasonally adjusted level of 83.8 (2002 = 100). Revised data show the index declined 6.7% in January, to 84.2.
 
The Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index for manufacturing fell 0.7% in February. Regional output in February was down 22.2% from a year earlier – lower than the 13.8% decline in national output.
 
The region’s steel sector output moved down 4.7% in February after declining 6.2% in January. The nation’s steel output was down 2.7% in February. Regional steel output dropped 30.8% from its February 2008 level, and national steel output fell 21.2%.
 
The Midwest’s machinery sector output decreased 4.2% in February after moving …

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index fell again in March. The index now stands at 90.1, decreasing 2.3% from the February revised figure of 92.2, and down 22.1% from a year ago.
 
While we see a continued sharp fall in the ETI, the decline was not as strong as in the previous four months, suggesting that the most intense stage of job losses may be behind us, said Gad Levanon, senior economist at The Conference Board. “However, the drops in each of the eight components of the ETI in March signal that many more jobs will disappear over the next several months.”
 
The 20-month-long decline in the Employment Trends Index is seen in all eight of its components, most notably over the past six months in temporary-help hires and part-time …

Manufacturing contracted again in March for the 14^th consecutive month, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business.

The Institute for Supply Management report read: "The rapid decline in manufacturing appears to have moderated somewhat, as the PMI remains in the mid-30s for a third consecutive month. While the PMI is slightly higher in March, the New Orders Index offers greater encouragement, as it rose above the 40-percent mark for the first time in seven months.

"The Production Index showed no benefit as yet from the improvement in new orders, as it continued to decline at a rate similar to March. The rate of decline in the Employment Index slowed slightly, and the same held true for the Prices Index. A special question was asked …

New orders for manufactured goods in February, up following six consecutive monthly decreases, increased $6.1 billion or 1.8% to $352.2 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in a preliminary report. This followed a 3.5% January decrease.
 
This data is an update to the Advance data released March 25. This report provides more details on the month’s performance.
 
Excluding transportation, new orders increased 1.6%. Shipments, down seven consecutive months, decreased $0.4 billion or 0.1% to $365.9 billion. This was the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 2.6% January decrease.
 
Unfilled orders, down five consecutive months, decreased $10.7 billion or 1.4% to …