LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -

Wholesale prices might have hit their apex in August, according to the team at Black Book.

Analysts released their Used Vehicle Retention Index for August, which came in at a new high for the measurement at 129.0. That reading represented a 3.0-point rise from July, but Black Book isn’t expecting the climb to continue.

“Wholesale prices continued to grow across all segments in August,” Black Book senior vice president data science Alex Yurchenko said.

“The increases were much smaller than in July, and by the end of the month, prices reached their peak,” Yurchenko continued. “We expect the weakening of the market in the next several months as the economy remains weak and there is an expected glut of used supply.”

The Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index is calculated using Black Book’s published wholesale average value on 2- to 6-year-old used vehicles, as a percent of original typically equipped MSRP. It is weighted based on registration volume and adjusted for seasonality, vehicle age, mileage and condition.

The index dates to January 2005 when Black Book published a benchmark index value of 100.0 for the market. During 2008, the index dropped by 14.1% while during 2016, the index fell by just 6.4%. During 2011, the index rose strongly from 113.3 to 123.0 by the end of the year as the economy picked up steam and used vehicle values rose higher.

The index continued to remain relatively stable, rising slightly until May 2014 when it hit the previous peak of 128.1.

 To obtain a copy of the latest Black Book Wholesale Value Index, go to this website.