Wholesale Inventories Rise in March

Wholesale inventories rose 0.4% in March, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Sales fell 1.6% after rising 1.5% the prior month. The rise in inventories followed a 0.3% decline in February.

Durable goods stockpiles rose 0.5%, Commerce said.

Economists had called for a 0.3% 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.