Business Inventories Fall; Sales Rise

U.S. business inventories fell in March but sales rose, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The 1.4% gain in sales was the most since last May and followed a 0.3% rise in February. Inventories declined 0.1%.

Economists had forecast inventories would rise 0.3%, Bloomberg reported.

Business retail sales rose 0.9% following a 0.7% rise. Retail inventories, which account for a little over a third of all business stockpiles, fell 0.7%.

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