: U.S. wholesale inventories rise 1% in November

Wholesale inventories in the U.S. rose 1% in November as companies stocked up before the holiday season. Yet sales in the month fell 0.6%, the government said Tuesday. The inventory-to-sales ratio moved up to 1.35 months form 1.32. A year ago the ratio stood at a lower 1.21 The ratio reflects how long it would take a company to sell all the goods sitting on warehouse shelves. The higher readings lately suggest that supply-chain bottlenecks have eased, but that sales are also slowing.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.