The Census Bureau reports in their business inventories update the figures for June:
Sales. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’
shipments for June, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at
$1,229.7 billion, down 1.1 percent (±0.2%) from May 2012 and up 3.0 percent (±0.4%) from June 2011.Inventories. Manufacturers’ and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were
estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,580.3 billion, up 0.1 percent (±0.1%)* from May 2012 and up 5.0 percent
(±0.3%) from June 2011.Inventories/Sales Ratio. The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of June
was 1.29. The June 2011 ratio was 1.26.
The business inventories-to-sales ratio of 1.29 is the highest reported since February of 2010. The increase in the ratio was due in most part to the changes in motor vehicles figures. Sales were down in the month, so inventories have risen leaving the dealers overstocked.
