By Eric Morath and Amara Omeokwe 
 

WASHINGTON--U.S. wholesalers increased inventories at the same pace in August as the prior month. Here are key takeaways from Wednesday's Commerce Department report:

--Wholesale inventories rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in August from the prior month. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 0.4% increase.

--Inventories increased 0.2% in July, unrevised from the previously reported gain.

--Sales in August were unchanged from a month earlier.

--The inventory-to-sales ratio, or how fast supplies would be exhausted at the month's sales pace, was 1.36 in August, up from 1.28 a year earlier.

--The Commerce Department's latest wholesale trade report can be found at www.census.gov/wholesale/pdf/mwts/currentwhl.pdf

Write to Eric Morath at eric.morath@wsj.com and Amara Omeokwe at amara.omeokwe@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 09, 2019 10:15 ET (14:15 GMT)