Wholesale Inventories, Sales Gain in April

.S. wholesale inventories rose 0.9% in April, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The gain followed a revised 0.6% increase in March that had originally been reported as a 0.2% rise.

The increase exceeded analysts forecasts of a 0.5% gain, Bloomberg reported.

The inventory-to-sales ratio, which measures the amount of time wholesale goods went unsold, fell to 1.16 months, matching a record low, from 1.17 months.

Durable goods inventories rose 1.2% from March.

holesale inventories account for about a fourth of total business stockpiles. Retailers and factories account for the rest.