Wholesale inventories in the U.S. fell 0.1% in April. Sales in the month were up 0.2%, the government said Thursday. The inventory-to-sales ratio slipped to 1.40 months from 1.41. A year ago the ratio stood at a much lower 1.27. The ratio reflects how long it would take a company to sell all the goods sitting on warehouse shelves. The higher readings lately suggest it’s taking longer for companies to sell their goods, a sign of a slowing economy or an excess of unsold products.
