Business Sales Grow 0.1%; Inventories Gain 0.8%

WASHINGTON — Business inventories rose 0.8% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Sales rose 0.1%. The inventories-to-sales ratio was 1.26 for the month.

The median estimate of economists polled by Thomson Reuters was for a 0.9% increase in inventories.

Retail inventories rose 0.1%. Excluding autos, retail inventories were still up 0.1%. Auto inventories themselves rose 0.3%.

Wholesale inventories increased 0.8% in April. Manufacturers had the largest growth in inventories, rising 1.3%.

Year over year, total business inventories rose 10.6%. Manufacturers showed 12.3% growth, while wholesale inventories over the year were up 13.8% and retailers saw a 5.7% increase.

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