Wholesale inventories increased 0.8% in April, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
Wholesale sales rose 0.3% for the month, following a 3.0% increase in March. March inventories rose 0.6%.
Inventories of durable and nondurable goods increased 0.8%. Autos fell 1.3% for the month, the largest decline since December 2009. The inventories-to-sales ratio edged up to 1.14 from 1.13.