Continuing the backlogged rollout of official data following the 43-day U.S. government shutdown, the Census Bureau released its monthly wholesale trade report on Nov. 21, reflecting August activity.

Overall, the report showed a modest monthly sales and inventories increase — with plenty of sector-specific variation as usual — while year-over-year sales continue to be skewed by inflation impacts.

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The latest report showed that August sales of merchant wholesalers — except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustments or seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes — were $711.1 billion. That’s up 0.1% from the revised July level and up 6.1% year-over-year. Meanwhile, July’s figure was revised down 10 basis points to a 1.3% gain.

Within wholesale trade, the report showed that seasonally adjusted durable goods sales ticked up 0.1% vs. July and up 6.1% year-over-year, while nondurable sales slid 0.1% month-to-month in August (+1.4% in July) and improved 4.5% year-over-year.

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Inventories

August’s wholesale trade inventories were valued at $907.9 billion, flat vs. July and up 1.1% year-over-year, while the July vs. June figure was revised up 20 bps to flat.

U.S. wholesale trade inventories, month-to-month % change

The August inventory/sales ratio for wholesalers was 1.28, matching July and down from the 1.34 of a year earlier.

August Wholesale Sales & Inventory by Product Category

Here’s how seasonally adjusted wholesale trade sales of durable and nondurable goods fared in August on both a month-over-month and year-over-year basis across the 19 industry sectors that the Census Bureau identifies. Click on the chart for a larger version.