U.S. wholesale stockpiles expand in April

WASHINGTON – U.S. wholesale businesses increased their stockpiles at a faster rate in April, responding to a strong gain in sales. The increase could be a good sign for economic growth in the April-June quarter.

The Commerce Department says stockpiles grew 0.6 percent at the wholesale level in April, double the March gain. Sales by wholesale businesses jumped 1.1 percent in April, nearly three times the March sales gain.

Stockpiles at the wholesale level stood at $483.5 billion in April. That’s 25.6 percent above the post-recession low of $384.9 billion in September 2009.

Slower growth in inventories held back growth in the January-March quarter. In the first three months of this year, the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.9 percent.

The increase in wholesale inventories was bigger than economists had forecast. That could signal that inventory growth will pick up and boost economic growth in the April-June quarter.