Wholesale Inventories Rise in February

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T.J. Kirkpatrick/Bloomberg News

Wholesale inventories rose 0.5% in February and sales increased, the Commerce Department reported April 9.

Sales increased 0.7% in February after falling 1.8% the prior month. The rise in inventories followed a revised 0.8% increase in January.

The rise in inventories matched economists’ median forecast, Bloomberg News reported. Estimates ranged from 0.1% to 1%. 

Wholesale inventories excluding oil increased 0.6%. The January rise in inventories was revised from a 0.7% increase.



Wholesale inventories account for about one-fourth of total business stockpiles. Retailers and factories account for the rest.