ECONOMY

Wholesale Sales Decline: Sales fell for the first time in five months in September, and stocks of unsold goods rose for a third straight month, the Commerce Department said. Total sales by merchant wholesalers fell 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted $174.68 billion, after jumping a revised 3.2% in August. The August increase was previously reported as 2.7%. The revised gain was the largest since a 4.6% increase in February, 1987. Inventories rose 0.4% in September to a seasonally adjusted $228.41 billion, after rising a revised 0.4% in August. The August gain was previously reported as 0.8%.