U.S Census Bureau reports manufacturing and trade inventories and sales April 2008.
Sales. The U.S. Census Bureau announced that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments for April, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,177.7 billion, up 1.4 percent (±0.2%) from March 2008 and up 6.8 percent (±0.5%) from April 2007.
Inventories. Manufacturers' and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,474.8 billion, up 0.5 percent (±0.1%) from March 2008 and up 5.4 percent (±0.4%) from April 2007.
Inventories/Sales Ratio. The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of April was 1.25. The April 2007 ratio was 1.27.