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.