The U.S. Census Bureau released its monthly wholesale trade report for September on Nov. 8, showing industry sales increased vs. a month earlier, but decreased year-over-year.
The figures showed that September sales of merchant wholesalers — except manufacturers’ sales branches and officers, after adjustment for season variations and trading differences but not for price changes — were $674 billion. That was up 0.3% from the revised August level, but down 0.4% year-over-year.
Here’s how September U.S. merchant wholesaler sales fared in durable goods categories:
| Category & September ‘24 Total | vs. August ’24 | vs. September ‘23 |
| Automotive, $53.3B | +0.5% | +2.5% |
| Furniture, $8.5B | -2.7% | -5.2% |
| Lumber, $17.7B | 0.0% | -3.1% |
| Professional Equipment, $52.4B | +0.4% | +8.7% |
| Computer Equipment, $25.0B | -2.4% | +8.3% |
| Metals, $17.4B | +2.9% | -9.2% |
| Electrical, $76.1B | 0.0% | +11.6% |
| Hardware, $20.6B | +0.6% | +5.1% |
| Machinery, $52.7B | +0.6% | +1.0% |
| Miscellaneous, $26.9B | +1.2% | +1.7% |
Inventories
The report showed that total inventories for merchant wholesalers ended September at $903.7 billion, down 0.2% from August’s revised mark (up 0.2%), and down 0.4% year-over-year.
Inventories/Sales Ratio
The September inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers was 1.34, up from September’s 1.33.
MDM Forecast Update
Stay tuned for the latest monthly MDM Forecast that reflects Census Bureau data through November 2024. Here’s our forecast issued in mid-October.
MDM Premium members and members of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors — who now have complimentary access to Premium upon activation here — can access the our new 2024 Annual Economic Outlook Report today from the Premium Dashboard.
Non-MDM Premium members can purchase the report here from the MDM Store.
Related Posts
-
The company cited a persistent “broader ecosystem inventory correction” causing a challenging market.
-
The company reported volume growth in key specialty product categories, while price deflation impacted overall…
-
The report found that the wholesale trade industry had an average of 71 days missed…
