Wholesale sector in Alberta ends six straight months of declines

In volume terms, wholesale sales rose 1.1 per cent in June.

Canadian wholesale sales increased 1.3% from May to a seasonally adjusted 55.32 billion Canadian dollars ($42.20 billion), Statistics Canada said Thursday. The increase exceeded the 1.0 percent advance forecast by market analysts. The loonie is likely to find resistance around 1.29 against the greenback and 95.5 against the yen.

Gasoline prices fell 12.2 percent on a 12-month basis in July, less than a 14.1 percent decline in June, Statistics Canada said.

Consumer prices were up in nine provinces compared with a year ago as Saskatchewan posted the largest increase, followed by Ontario.

The higher sales in five sub sectors in June represent 86 per cent of wholesale sales, it said, with the motor vehicle and parts sub sector leading the gain at three per cent to $10.2 billion.

From the same month a year earlier, retail sales have increased by 1.4 per cent.

Alberta gained 0.8 per cent to $6.7 billion, following six consecutive moves lower.

Electronics and appliance store sales rose 9.4 per cent, the fastest in records back to 1991, in a month where new regulations limited the duration of mobile phone contracts.