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



MANUFACTURING AND TRADE INVENTORIES AND SALES

October 2005

Sales. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers'' shipments for October, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,030.8 billion, up 0.8 percent (±0.2%) from September and up 7.6 percent (±0.4%) from October 2004.

Inventories. Manufacturers'' and trade inventories adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,286.0 billion, up 0.3 percent (±0.2%) from September and up 4.1 percent (±0.4%) from October 2004.

Inventories/Sales Ratio. The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of October was 1.25. The October 2004 ratio was 1.29.



Available at: http://www.census.gov/mtis/www/current.html