Inventories at United States wholesalers piled up at a faster pace in October as sales posted their first back-to-back declines in more than three years.	SAC Capital Advisors, a $10 billion hedge fund, has raised its stake in the Phelps Dodge Corporation to 5.1 percent and said yesterday that it would oppose a proposed takeover of the company by Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold.	The panel ruled that Qualcomm, a maker of cellphone chips, is infringing a Broadcom Corporation patent on a way to conserve handset battery power.
Sales of existing homes are expected to decline 8.6 percent, to 6.47 million, for 2006, and shrink another 1 percent, to 6.40 million units, next year.	Valassis Communications is suing to escape its deal to purchase Advo, a direct mail marketing company it agreed to buy for $1.3 billion.	Fewer people are rushing to cram in miles before the end of the year to upgrade to a higher frequent-flier status.