Global| Jun 04 2002U.S. Light Vehicle Sales Soft
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Light vehicle sales fell 9.7% last month versus April. A more moderate decline to 16.8 mil. units was expected. Total vehicle sales in 2Q so far are up 1.2% from 1Q. Sales of domestically built cars and trucks fell 9.3% m/m. Sales of [...]
Light vehicle sales fell 9.7% last month versus April. A more moderate decline to 16.8 mil. units was expected. Total vehicle sales in 2Q so far are up 1.2% from 1Q.
Sales of domestically built cars and trucks fell 9.3% m/m. Sales of domestics in 2Q so far are up 2.5% from the 1Q average.
Imported vehicle sales fell 11.4% m/m. Sales of imports in 2Q so far are down 3.9% from the 1Q average.
Imports captured 19.2% of the US light vehicle market in May versus 20.4% in 1Q and 17.8% last year.
Sales of cars (-7.0% y/y) and light trucks (-4.6% y/y) both fell last month versus April.
| Light Vehicle Sales (SAAR, Mil.Units) | May | April | Y/Y | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 15.67 | 17.36 | -5.8% | 17.21 | 17.40 | 16.95 |
| Domestic | 12.67 | 13.97 | -7.3% | 14.15 | 14.58 | 14.47 |
| Imported | 3.00 | 3.39 | 1.5% | 3.06 | 2.82 | 2.48 |
by Tom Moeller June 4, 2002
Chain store sales in the latest week rose 0.1% following three consecutive down weeks according to BTM-UBSW.
For all of May, sales rose 0.8% from the April average owing to a surge in sales early in the month.
The leading indicator of chain store sales published by BTM recovered some of its lost momentum with a 0.8% rise in the third full week of May.
During the last ten years there has been a 40% correlation between the year-to-year percent change in monthly chain store sales and the change in general merchandise store sales.
| BTM-UBSW (SA, 1977=100) | 6/1/02 | 5/25/02 | Y/Y | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Weekly Retail Chain Store Sales | 405.0 | 404.6 | 3.2% | 2.1% | 3.4% | 6.7% |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
