Wholesale Inventories Rise in April

Wholesale inventories rose 0.2% in April, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Sales rose 0.5% in April after a 1.5% decrease the prior month. The rise in inventories followed a 0.3% rise in March.

Durable goods stockpiles rose 0.2%, Commerce said.

Economists had called for a 0.2% gain in wholesale inventories, Bloomberg News reported.

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