The US Census Bureau announced Tuesday that the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments for October, seasonally adjusted, was estimated at $1,118.8 billion, up 1.4 percent (±0.2 percent) from September 2010 and up 9.3 percent (±0.4 percent) from October 2009.
Sales in the motor vehicle and parts dealers sector totaled $67.4 million for the month of October, up 5.3 percent over the previous month, and a 12.8 percent increase over October 2009.
Sales in the building materials, garden equipment, and supplies sector were $24.9 million in October, up 3 percent over September, and a 13 percent increase over the same month last year.
Manufacturers' and trade inventories, seasonally-adjusted, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,417.7 billion, up 0.7 percent (±0.2 percent) from September 2010 and up 6.9 percent (±0.5 percent) from October 2009.
Inventories in the motor vehicle and parts dealers sector totaled $128.9 million in October, down 1.4 percent over the previous month, but 15.4 percent higher than October 2009.
Inventories in the building materials, garden equipment, and supplies sector totaled $44.03 million in October, down 0.2 percent over September, and a 1.5 percent decline over October 2009.