Statistics Canada reported Friday that manufacturing sales in Canada fell C$360 million (US$377 million) 0.8 percent month-on-month in May. Sales have remained relatively flat since January 2011.
Inventory levels increased 0.7 percent in May to C$63.1 billion (US$66 billion), their highest level since April 2009. Increased levels of inventories were reported by manufacturers in the primary metal (+2.2 percent), motor vehicle (+10.4 percent) and machinery (+1.0 percent). Sales in the fabricated metal product sector fell 1.7 percent on the month in May, but were up 5.6 percent year-on-year.