April wholesale inventories fall 1.4 percent

WASHINGTON - Wholesalers slashed inventories more than expected in April as businesses struggled to get stockpiles in line with falling sales.

The Commerce Department says wholesale inventories fell 1.4 percent in April, more than the 1.1 percent decline that economists expected. It marked the eighth straight month that inventories dropped.

Sales at the wholesale level fell 0.4 percent in April following a 2.4 percent drop in March. Sales by wholesalers have fallen in nine of the last 10 months.