Inventory to sale ratio rises to 1.36
- Prior month +0.4%.
- Preliminary inventories -0.1%
- Wholesale sales month-to-month January -1.7% versus 0.5% expected.
- Prior period for wholesale sales +0.3% versus 0.7% previously reported
Summary of the sales: Worst since March 2023
- January 2024 sales for merchant wholesalers, excluding manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, were $657.2 billion after adjustments for seasonal variations and trading day differences.
- Sales in January 2024 saw a decrease of 1.7% (±0.4%) from the revised December 2023 level.
- Compared to the revised January 2023 level, sales in January 2024 were down by 1.5% (±0.9%).
- The November to December 2023 sales change was revised from an initial estimate of a 0.7% increase (±0.5%) to a 0.3% increase (±0.5%).
Summary of inventories:
- Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, excluding manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, were $895.1 billion at the end of January 2024, after adjustments for seasonal variations and trading day differences.
- Inventories in January 2024 decreased by 0.3% (±0.2%) from the revised December 2023 level.
- Compared to the revised January 2023 level, total inventories were down by 2.5% (±1.1%).
- The December 2023 to January 2024 inventory change was revised from an advance estimate of a 0.1% decrease (±0.2%) to a 0.3% decrease (±0.2%).
Inventories/Sales Ratio The January inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.36. The January 2023 ratio was 1.38.