End-of-month inventories of durable goods increased 0.6 percent (+/-0.5 Percent) from January and were up 6.6 percent (+/-1.3 Percent) from last February. Compared to last month, inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies increased 1.8 percent and professional and commercial equipment and supplies increased 1.6 percent. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods increased 1.0 percent (+/-0.5 Percent) from January and were up 5.7 percent (+/-1.2 Percent) compared to last February.
Inventories of drugs and druggists' sundries increased 2.6 percent from last month and inventories of apparel, piece goods, and notions increased 1.4 percent.
Inventories/Sales Ratio. The February inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers' sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.17. The February 2005 ratio was 1.20.
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