Business Inventories, Sales Rise

usiness inventories rose for a fifth straight month in December, and business sales rose by the most in a year, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The 1.2% business sales gain followed a 0.3% rise in November, Commerce reported.

Business inventories rose 0.6%, higher than economists’ forecast of a 0.5% increase, Bloomberg reported.

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

Inventories at retailers rose 0.7%, following a 1% increase the previous month, Commerce said.

Factory inventories rose 0.5% following a 0.3% rise. Wholesale inventories, which make up about a third of the total, rose 1%.