Wholesale Inventories Rise, Sales Jump in October

December 9, 2005 11:00 AM, EST

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.S. wholesale inventories rose 0.2% in October, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The gain, which followed a 0.6% surge in September, was below analysts’ forecasts of a 0.5% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Wholesale sales rose 1.2%, following a 2.4% surge in September, Commerce said.

The inventory-to-sales ratio, which measures the amount of time wholesale goods went unsold, fell to an all-time low of 1.13 months, from 1.15 months a month earlier.

holesale inventories account for about one-fourth of total business stockpiles.