Business Inventories Rise in May; Sales Decline

Business inventories rose 0.1% in May, the smallest gain this year, as sales fell, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Sales fell 0.9%. Economists had forecast inventories would rise 0.2%, Bloomberg reported.

Factory inventories fell 0.4%, while wholesale stockpiles gained 0.5%.

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