Business Inventories Rise 0.5%

Business inventories rose 0.5% in February, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The increase followed a revised 1% gain in January that was slightly higher than originally reported.

The increase was below economists’ forecasts of a 0.8% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Wholesale sales jumped 0.2%.

Factory inventories, which make up about two-fifths of the total, rose 0.8%, while wholesale inventories, which make up about 30%, increased 1%.

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