Wholesale Inventories Rise

Wholesale inventories rose 0.3% in March, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The gain followed a 0.9% increase in February. Sales rose 0.5%, following a 1.1% gain in February.

Durable goods stockpiles rose 1% and non-durables fell 0.6%.

The increase was short of economists’ forecasts of a 0.6% gain, Bloomberg reported.

Wholesale inventories account for about a fourth of total business stockpiles, while retailers and factories account for the rest.