Canada's wholesale sales rise 0.1% in January

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Wholesale sales in Canada rose 0.1% in January to reach $82.4 billion, according to data released by the statistics office on Friday.

The market expectation for the figure was to show a decline of 0.6%.

Wholesale sales, a leading indicator of consumer spending, decreased 0.3% in December.

"Sales increased in three of the seven subsectors, led by the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector and the personal and household goods subsector," Statistics Canada said in a statement.

On an annual basis, wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, other hydrocarbons, oilseed and grain, were 2% lower in January, compared with the same month of last year.