U.S. August wholesale inventories rise 0.1 pct

WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Inventories of unsold goods at U.S. wholesalers rose a smaller-than-expected 0.1 percent in August, government data on Wednesday showed, on the back of falling stocks of non-durable goods.

Wall Street analysts had forecast a 0.3 percent advance in stocks after a 0.2 percent gain in July.

In a sign of the continuing crisis in the housing industry, sales of lumber and furniture both dropped sharply while inventories of both rose in August.

Sales at wholesalers rose 0.4 percent in August following an upwardly revised 0.2 percent gain the previous month.

The inventory-to-sales ratio, which measures how long it would take to sell off stocks of goods at the current pace, remained at a record low 1.11 months' worth for the fourth straight month.