Wholesale Inventories Rose in November

Inventories at U.S. wholesalers piled up in November as sales failed to rise for a second straight month, suggesting businesses will place fewer orders to factories in the months ahead. Wholesale stockpiles rose 0.4% in November, matching October’s increase, led by inventories of autos, paper products and computer parts, the Commerce Department said. Economists had expected a 0.3% rise in inventories in November. Wholesaler sales were flat, after a 0.1% decline in October. The inventory-to-sales ratio, which measures the time goods sit at wholesalers, held at 1.31 months in November, the highest since 1.32 months’ worth in April 1999.