Manufacturing sales up 0.7 percent in February at $71.6B, according to Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.7 percent to $71.6 billion in February, helped by higher sales of petroleum and coal.

The agency says manufacturing sales were up in 13 of the 21 subsectors it tracks as petroleum and coal sales rose 4.3 percent to $8.7 billion, helped by higher prices and to a lesser extent, volumes. Sales of electrical equipment, appliance and component products rose 12.6 percent to a record $1.5 billion in February.

Overall manufacturing sales in constant dollars rose 0.1 percent in February.

In a separate report, Statistics Canada said wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, were essentially unchanged in February at $82.2 billion.

The result came as sales increased in four of the seven subsectors with the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector up 1.1 percent at $17.6 billion in February, while the food, beverage and tobacco subsector fell 1.3 percent to $14.6 billion.

In volume terms, wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.2 percent in February.