One area in which this country's economy appears to be growing is among wholesale sales, figures released Monday by Statistics Canada seem to indicate.
The agency put the rise in wholesale trade for May at 0.9%, more than expected, driven by increased sales of motor vehicles and agricultural supplies.
The increase from the month before topped economists' forecasts for a gain of 0.5%, while April was revised down slightly to show an increase of 0.8% from the initially reported 1% gain.
The wholesale trade figures are the last major economic data ahead of Friday's monthly gross domestic product report, which is expected to show the economy grew by 0.2% in May. The release will be watched for indications the economy maintained its momentum in the second quarter.
Wholesale trade increased in six out of seven sectors in May, accounting for 80% of wholesale sales. Stripping out the effects of price changes, sales volumes rose 0.8%.
The motor vehicle and parts sector rose 1.4% after declining for the past three months in a row, lifted by higher sales of vehicles.
The "miscellaneous" sector also drove overall sales, rising 2.6% on increased sales of agricultural supplies and chemical products.
