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. (full story)