Wholesale revenues in March were $430.7 billion, down 2 percent from March 2015 and up 0.7 percent from February, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
March sales of durable goods were down 0.2 percent from last month and were down 0.4 percent from a year ago. Sales of hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies were down 2.2 percent from last month. Sales of nondurable goods were up 1.6 percent from February, but were down 3.5 percent from last March. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 13.5 percent from last month and sales of farm product raw materials were up 2.7 percent.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $583.6 billion at the end of March, up 0.1 percent from the revised February level and were up 0.3 percent from the March 2015 level. The February preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.5 billion or 0.1 percent. March inventories of durable goods were down 0.1 percent from last month and were down 2.2 percent from a year ago. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum were down 2 percent from last month, while inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 1 percent. Inventories of nondurable goods were up 0.5 percent from February and were up 4.6 percent from last March. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 3.3 percent from last month and inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries were up 2 percent.
The March inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.36. The March 2015 ratio was 1.32.
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