The following is the un-edited press release from the U.S. Census Bureau.


MONTHLY WHOLESALE TRADE: SALES AND INVENTORIES
JANUARY 2006

Sales
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that January 2006 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 $318.6 billion, up 1.0 percent (+/-0.7%) from the revised December level and were up 9.3 percent (+/-1.2%) from the January 2005 level. The December preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.5 billion or 0.2 percent. January sales of durable goods increased 1.4 percent (+/-0.8%) from last month and were up 8.9 percent (+/-1.5%) from a year ago. Compared to last month, sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies increased 4.5 percent, while hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies decreased 2.4 percent. January sales of nondurable goods were up 0.6 percent (+/-0.8%)* from last month and were up 9.8 percent (+/-1.5%) from last year. Compared to last month, sales of grocery and related products were up 1.8 percent, while chemicals and allied products decreased 2.0 percent.

Inventories
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers'' sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $362.8 billion at the end of January, up 0.1 percent (+/-0.3%)* from last month and were up 5.7 percent (+/-1.0%) from a year ago. The December preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.1 billion. End-of-month inventories of durable goods increased 0.3 percent (+/-0.5%)* from December and were up 5.9 percent (+/-1.3%) from last January. Inventories of hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies increased 2.4 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods decreased 0.1 percent (+/-0.5%)* from December, but were up 5.3 percent (+/-1.3%) compared to last January. Inventories of drugs and druggists'' sundries decreased 5.5 percent from last month, while inventories of petroleum and petroleum products increased 12.9 percent.

Inventories/Sales Ratio
The January inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers'' sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.14. The January 2005 ratio was 1.18.



Available at: http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/mwts0601.html