Stocks on US wholesalers' shelves fell for the first time in half a year in October, the government reported today.
Wholesale inventories fell 0.3 per cent after rising 0.4per cent in September, the US Commerce Department said.
The report confounded expectations of Wall Street analysts who were generally expecting inventories to climb 0.1 per cent.
Sales posted a smaller decline than inventories, dipping0.1 per cent, pulled down by slow sales of durable goods such as cars and computer equipment.