Inventories Unchanged; Sales Increase 0.6%

Business inventories were flat in January, while sales rose 0.6%, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Economists expected inventories to rise 0.2% for the month..

In December, inventories fell a revised 0.3%, initially reported as a 0.2% decrease, while sales jumped a revised 1.0%, first reported as a 0.9% increase.

The inventories-to-sales ratio fell to 1.25, from 1.26 in December, and down from 1.46 a year ago.

Manufacturers’ inventories rose 0.2% in January, after having dropped 0.2% in December, while retailers saw inventories fall 0.1% after a 0.2% increase in December.

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