March Business Inventories Rise 0.4%

usiness inventories rose 0.4% in March, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

The increase was below analysts’ estimates of 0.6%, Bloomberg reported, and followed a 0.5% gain in February. It brought the value of goods held by manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers to $1.295 trillion, Commerce said.

When inventories and sales are growing, it usually means trucking is seeing additional demand to deliver goods and restock shelves.

he inventory-to-sales ratio, which measures how long supplies will last at current demand levels, dropped to 1.31 months from 1.32 months.

Retail inventories rose 0.4%, while retail sales excluding food services increased by 0.5%.

Auto and parts dealer inventories rose 0.4% following no change in February as sales rose 0.8%, Commerce said.