Sales at Wholesalers Jump 2.4% in September

Sales at U.S. wholesalers in September rose by the most in more than a year, exceeding a gain in inventories and suggesting that companies might need to step up production to meet rising demand.

The 0.6% increase in inventories brought the total value of stockpiles to $356.5 billion and followed a 0.5% gain in August, the Commerce Department said. Sales surged 2.4% in September, the most since March 2004, to bring the total value to $311.1 billion.