WASHINGTON — The U.S. Census Bureau announced Tuesday that October 2007 sales of merchant wholesalers rose 0.7 percent to $369.8 billion from September and up 11.5 percent from October 2006.
Sales of durable goods were up 0.6 percent from September and up 5.3 percent from October 2006. Sales of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software increased 4.3 percent and the sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum, rose 3.8 percent from September.
Sales of nondurable goods rose 0.7 percent from September and rose 17.7 percent from October 2006. Sales of drugs and druggists’ sundries increased 4 percent and sales of chemicals and allied products rose 2.9 percent from September.
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers were almost unchanged from September at $403.7 billion, but up 4.6 percent from October 2006.
End-of-month inventories of durable goods were down 0.1 percent from September, but up 0.5 percent from October 2006. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum, slipped 1.9 percent from September, as inventories of electrical and electronic goods rose 0.9 percent.
End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods rose 0.1 percent from September and 12.1 percent from October 2006. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products rose 3.7 percent from September.
The inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers in October was 1.09. The ratio was 1.16 in October 2006.
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