The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for March, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,470.1 billion, up 1.6 percent (±0.2 percent) from February 2019 and was up 3.7 percent (±0.3 percent) from March 2018. Manufacturers’ and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $2,018.1 billion, virtually unchanged (±0.1 percent)* from February 2019, but were up 5.0 percent (±0.5 percent) from March 2018. The total business inventories/sales ratio based ... (full story)