Wholesale Inventories Rise 0.4% in March

Inventories at U.S. wholesalers rose a smaller-than-expected 0.4% in March, government data showed, as stockpiles of cars and computers declined while petroleum stocks advanced sharply.

Wall Street analysts had predicted a 0.8% increase in stocks after a 0.6% gain in February.

The Commerce Department said inventories of durable goods -- products meant to last three or more years -- edged up 0.1%. Inventories for non-durable items increased 1% as stocks of petroleum jumped 9.3%, the largest increase since July 2004.