Business Inventories Rise 0.6%

Business inventories rose 0.6% in August, the Commerce Department said Monday.

The increase followed a 0.8% upturn in July. Sales at factories, wholesalers and retailers rose 0.5%, following a 0.9% rise.

The inventories gain was higher than economists’ median forecast of 0.5%, Bloomberg reported.

Factory inventories, which make up about two-fifths of the total, increased 0.6%, but wholesale inventories, which make up about 30%, rose 0.5%.

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