Wholesale Inventories in U.S. Increase More Than Forecast
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Inventories at U.S. wholesalers jumped in January by the most in more than a year as companies shrugged off concerns about fiscal policy and ramped up in anticipation of rising consumer demand.
The 1.2 percent increase in stockpiles exceeded all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists and was the biggest since December 2011, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. Sales fell, reflecting a slump in non-durable goods including petroleum and farm products.