The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for April, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes was estimated at $1,318.8 billion, up 0.6 percent from March and down 2.3 percent from April 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Manufacturers’ and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,793.2 billion, up 0.4 percent from March and up 2.6 percent from April 2014.

The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of April was 1.36. The April 2014 ratio was 1.29.