Census Bureau revises December’s wholesale inventories in the U.S to a 0.2% decline instead of 0.1% reported previously

The
Census Bureau revised the United States wholesale inventories for December on
Friday. The revised data downgraded the wholesales inventories in December
attributed to a sharp drop in stocks particularly in the auto industry.

In
the previous report, wholesale inventories in December were recorded at a 0.1%
decline in the U.S. The revised data, however, showed the decline to have been
0.2% in December. In November, wholesalers’ stock had noted a 0.1% growth. As
per December’s data, the year over year growth in wholesalers’ stocks was noted
at 2.1%. The 2.1% annual gain in 2019 was branded significantly lower than the
massive 7.1% growth that was registered in 2018.

Inventory
Accumulation Acceleration Rate Remained Under Pressure From Q2 To Q4

The
wholesale inventories’ component also contributes to GDP calculation. The component,
as per Friday’s data, dropped 0.1% last month. The data further highlighted
that inventory accumulation accelerated at a reasonable pace from 2018’s third
quarter to 2019’s Q1. From the second quarter of 2019 to the end of the fiscal
year, the growth in inventory accumulation was posted much slower. According to
the experts, part of the slowdown was ascribed to the General Motors strike
that continued from September to the end of October.

In
the fourth quarter, GDP growth saw a 1.09 percentage point of decline due to
inventory investments. The drop marked the sharpest since 2018’s Q2. In the
last quarter of 2019, economic
growth was posted at 2.1% (annualized) that remained unchanged from the
previous quarter.

Wholesale
auto inventories saw a 0.6% decline in December following a wider 1.4% fall in
November. Apparel inventories, on the other hand, slumped 0.3% in December
after a greater 0.7% decline in the previous month. The report further accentuated
a 7.8% drop in Petroleum inventories last month compared to November’s 5.2%
decline. Other inventories like furniture, machinery, and computer equipment
were also seen lower in December.

Wholesalers
Will Take 1.36 Months To Clear Shelves At This Pace

November
had announced a 0.9% increase in wholesalers’ sales. In December, however, the
reading suggested a 0.7% drop in the aforementioned indicator. Sales in motor
vehicles were reported 4.1% lower in December after a massive 4.7% increase in
the prior month. Lastly, a 1.9% decline was highlighted in apparel sales.

Friday
data also suggested that it will take 1.36 months for wholesalers to clear
shelves at the sales pace noted in December.

The
forex
market didn’t respond aggressively to the U.S wholesale inventories report
on Friday.