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 November 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 $331.3 billion, up 1.0% from the revised October level and were up 7.9% from the November 2005 level. The October preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.4 billion or 0.1%. November sales of durable goods increased 1.2% from last month and were up 7.7% from a year ago.

Compared to last month, sales of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 5.0% and sales of electrical and electronic goods increased 2.9%. November sales of nondurable goods were up 0.7% from last month and were up 8.1% from last year. Compared to last month, sales of petroleum and petroleum products increased 5.7% and sales of beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages increased 2.4%.

Inventories

Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $396.7 billion at the end of November, up 1.3% from last month and were up 10.6% from a year ago. The October preliminary estimate was revised downward $1.3 billion or 0.3%. End-of-month inventories of durable goods increased 0.5% from October and were up 10.1% from last November.

End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods increased 2.8 percent (+/-0.5%) from October and were up 11.4 percent (+/-3.5%) compared to last November. Inventories of farm product raw materials increased 13.0 percent from last month and inventories of drugs and druggists’ sundries were up 3.3 percent.

Inventories/Sales Ratio

The November inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.20. The November 2005 ratio was 1.17.


Available at:

http://www.census.gov/mwts/www/currentwhl.html