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U.S. wholesale inventories climb 0.2% in July, sales flat
Wholesale inventories in the U.S. rose 0.2% in July to rebound from a small decline in the prior month. Sales in the month were flat, however. The ratio of inventories to sales was also unchanged at 1.36. That's how many months it would take to sell all the inventory on hand. One year ago, the inventory-to-sales ratio was much lower at 1.27, suggesting that companies are either producing too much now or not selling good as fast as they were last year. Still, an increase in inventories adds to gross domestic product.