March 14, 2006 10:30 AM, EST

Business Inventories, Sales Rise

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

usiness inventories rose 0.4% in January, and business sales rose by 1.3%, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The sales gain followed a 1.4% rise in December, while inventories followed a 0.8% rise, Commerce reported.

Economists expected inventories to rise 0.3%, Bloomberg reported.

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

Inventories at retailers rose 0.5%, following a 0.8% increase the previous month, Commerce said. Sales rose 2.9%, the most since October 2001.