Wholesale Inventories Rise in March

May 11, 2010 10:00 AM, EDT

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

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The increase followed a 0.6% increase the prior month, Commerce said.

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Wholesale sales rose 2.4%, the most since November and the 12th straight monthly increase.

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Economists had forecast inventories to rise 0.5%, Bloomberg reported.

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

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