(Adds details of release, background)
OTTAWA, March 17 (Reuters) - The value of Canadian wholesale
trade remained unchanged in January from December as lower auto
sales canceled out gains in other sectors, Statistics Canada
said on Thursday.
Analysts in a Reuters poll had predicted a 0.2 percent
increase in wholesale sales from December. In volume terms,
sales fell by 0.2 percent.
Sales in the motor vehicles and parts subsector dropped by
2.8 percent, the first decline in three months. Sales of motor
vehicles, which had hit a record in December, sank by 4.9
percent.
Overall, sales were higher in four out of seven subsectors,
accounting for around 54 percent of wholesale sales.
The machinery, equipment and supplies subsector gained 2.6
percent while personal and household goods rose 0.5 percent to
hit a record high.
Wholesale inventories edged up by 0.3 percent, the first
increase in three months.