LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -

Black Book is seeing its Used Vehicle Retention Index return to a seasonal pattern.

Analysts released their index reading for October on Monday, indicating that the newest observation came in at 115.6. That figure represented a 0.3% dip from September when it was 115.9.

“In the last couple of years, the used-vehicle values held up unusually high until late in the year. However, the market trend this year is consistent with typical seasonality patterns,” Black Book executive vice president of operations Anil Goyal said in a news release.

“Interestingly, the truck segments are now seeing larger declines as opposed to sedans,” Goyal continued. “As supplies of used crossovers and pickup trucks continue to increase, the demand will need to be stronger for values in these segments to stay stable.”

 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 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. It continued to remain relatively stable, rising slightly until May of 2014 when it hit a peak of 128.1.

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