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Rolls of coiled coated steel sit at a Stelco facility in Hamilton on June 29, 2018.

Peter Power/The Canadian Press

Statistics Canada says wholesale trade rose 1 per cent to $65.1-billion in September, boosted by gains in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector.

The move higher reversed a drop of 1.2 per cent in August.

Economists on average had expected an increase of 0.3 per cent, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

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Statistics Canada says the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector reported the largest increase in dollar terms in September as sales rose 4.4 per cent to $13.9-billion.

Sales in the personal and household goods subsector rose 1 per cent to $9.6-billion in September.

Wholesale sales increased 0.9 per cent in volume terms.

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