US Wholesale Inventories Decline in December

In December 2024, the United States witnessed a 0.5% decrease in wholesale inventories, amounting to $898.5 billion, closely aligning with market expectations. This decline was reported by the US Census Bureau, which also noted a slight 0.1% annual decrease in total inventories.

Merchant Wholesalers Sales Show Growth

Despite the inventory dip, sales among merchant wholesalers adjusted for seasonal variations and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, reached $686.5 billion. This figure represents a 1% increase from November's revised numbers and a 2.8% rise compared to the same period in 2023.

Inventory-to-Sales Ratio Drops

The inventory-to-sales ratio, based on seasonally adjusted data, decreased to 1.31 from 1.35 in December of the previous year, indicating a faster turnover of goods.