Business Inventories Increase 1%

Business inventories rose 1% in March, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The increase followed a revised 0.7% gain in February that was more than initially estimated.

The increase was above economists’ forecasts of a 0.9% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Wholesale sales jumped 2.2%, the highest since March 2010, Bloomberg said.

Factory inventories, which make up about two-fifths of the total, rose 1.1%, while wholesale inventories, which make up about 30%, also gained 1.1%.

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