Wholesale Inventories Rise Higher Than Expected

Wholesale inventories rose a slightly higher-than-expected 0.4 percent in September to exceed what was a modest 0.2 percent monthly sales rise in the sector. Yet a year-on-year comparison does point to the need for further restocking with inventories up 5.2 percent against a 7.8 percent rise in sales. The stock-to-sales ratio remains unchanged for a third straight month at 1.26.