(Adds details of release, background)
OTTAWA, April 20 (Reuters) - The value of Canadian wholesale
trade sank by a much larger-than-expected 2.2 percent in
February, pulled down in part by lower machinery and equipment
sales, Statistics Canada data indicated on Wednesday.
Analysts in a Reuters poll predicted a 0.3 percent drop in
wholesale sales from January after three consecutive
month-on-month increases. The decline was the largest since the
3.6 percent retreat seen in January 2015.
Lower sales were recorded in five of seven subsectors,
accounting for 66 percent of total wholesale trade. In volume
terms, sales fell by 1.9 percent.
The machinery, equipment and supplies subsector fell by 4.8
percent on broad-based weakness, particularly in construction,
forestry, mining and industrial machinery and supplies.
The motor vehicles and parts subsector dropped by 3.5
percent on lower imports and exports as well as lower sales by
assembly plants. Overall, wholesale inventories rose by 0.2
percent.
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Graphic - wholesale trade http://link.reuters.com/cyr43t
Graphic - Canada economic dashboard http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/15/sc-canada/index.html
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