US wholesale inventories rose by the biggest amount in two years in July, the government reported Friday, in a sign that companies were expecting enough demand to increase inventories this summer. Inventories rose 1.3 percent, the sharpest gain since mid-2008, and more than three times the increase expected by analysts, the Commerce Department report showed. A restocking of inventories has helped drive the economy's recovery - accounting for 0.6 percent points of the economy's 1.6 percent annual growth rate - but analysts say slowing demand has likely left businesses with sufficient supplies and they expect the help to the broader economy from inventories to fade in the second half of the year.
