Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian wholesale sales rose for a fifth month in June, as consumers raised spending on alcohol and household products and businesses took advantage of falling prices for U.S. goods to buy equipment.

Wholesalers sold C$39.9 billion ($33.3 billion) of goods in the month, up 0.5 percent from C$39.7 billion in May, Statistics Canada said today in Ottawa. Wholesale sales growth for May was revised to 0.5 percent from an initially reported 0.2 percent. Economists had forecast a 0.7 percent increase in June, based on the median estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Job gains and historically low interest rates are fueling household spending in the world's eighth-largest economy and helping drive the economy's expansion, even as some manufacturers adjust to a rising Canadian dollar by scaling back. Wholesale sales of personal and household goods rose 2.8 percent to C$5.7 billion in June, StatsCan said.

Companies also are spending as a cheaper U.S. dollar makes equipment less expensive. Machinery and electronic equipment sales advanced 3.4 percent during the month.

Wholesalers added 0.3 percent to inventories during in June, raising the value of their stock of goods to C$47.6 billion.

Last Updated: August 17, 2005 08:38 EDT