Sales of wholesale goods rose 0.5% in May to $72.2 billion, the third consecutive monthly increase. More than 95% of the gain came from the food, beverage and tobacco subsector, which reported growth of 2.7%. Sales were higher in four of the seven subsectors, representing 72% of total wholesale sales. Wholesale volumes fell 0.3% in May. Since reaching a low of $49.0 billion in April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, sales have risen in 11 of the 13 months. In May 2021, they were 11.0% higher than the pre-pandemic level in February 2020. The 10 months with the highest sales of all time in the sector were the 10 ... (full story)