The following is the unedited transcript of the news release from the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.


Sales.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that December 2007 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 $376.6 billion, down 0.7 percent (+/- 0.5%) from the revised November level and were up 10.6 percent (+/-1.3%) from the December 2006 level. The November preliminary estimate was revised downward $1.1 billion or 0.3 percent.

December sales of durable goods were down 2.0 percent (+/-0.8%) from last month, but were up 1.6 percent (+/-2.0%) from a year ago. Compared to last month, sales of electrical and electronic goods were down 4.3 percent and sales of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were down 4.0 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.4 percent (+/-0.7%)* from last month and were up 19.3 percent (+/-2.0%) from last year.

Inventories.

Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $411.6 billion at the end of December, up 1.1 percent (+/-0.3%) from the revised November level and were up 6.1
percent (+/-1.5%) from a year ago. The November preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.8 billion or 0.2 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were up 0.9 percent (+/-0.3%) from last month and were up 1.9 percent (+/-1.7%) from last December. Inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 3.5 percent from last month, and inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were up 1.7 percent.

End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods increased 1.6 percent (+/-0.5%) from November and were up 13.6 percent (+/-2.8%) compared to last December. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 9.2 percent from last month and inventories of farm product raw materials were up 3.7 percent.

Inventories/Sales Ratio.

The December inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.09. The December 2006 ratio was 1.14.


Available at:

http://www.census.gov/wholesale/pdf/mwts/currentwhl.pdf