Inventories held by chemicals and allied products wholesalers in May were valued at $12.6 billion, a decrease of 6.6 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report.

Chemicals and allied products wholesalers reported inventories worth $13.5 billion in May 2019.

The data is after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes.

The Census Bureau conducts a monthly wholesale trade survey in order to provide an up-to-date indication of sales and inventory trends for U.S. merchant wholesalers, excluding manufacturers' sales branches and offices.

The survey is considered to be a reliable measure of current economic activity.

Information requested in the survey includes monthly sales reports, end-of-month inventories, number of establishments covered by the report, and the ending date of the reporting period.