Business Inventories Rise for Third Month

Business inventories rose 0.6% in February as sales increased, the Commerce Department said Monday.

The gain followed a revised 0.8% increase in January that was larger than first reported. Sales rose 0.7% following a 0.4% rise.

The February increase matched economists’ projections of 0.6%, Bloomberg reported.

Factory inventories, which make up about two-fifths of the total, rose 0.4%, while wholesale inventories, which make up about 30%, increased 0.9%.

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