

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. wholesale inventories fell 0.8 percent in December of 2009, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday.
The 0.8-percent decline was much worse than the 1-percent rise economists had expected.
Meanwhile, sales at the wholesale level posted a 0.8-percent increase in the last month of 2009, according to the Commerce.
Analysts say that American businesses are still struggling to trim stockpiles amid the longest recession since World War II.