Business Inventories Rise 0.7%

Business inventories rose 0.7% in September, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The increase followed a 0.6% upturn in August. Sales at factories, wholesalers and retailers rose 1.4%, the biggest gain since March 2011, following a 0.6% rise.

The inventories gain was higher than economists’ median forecast of 0.6%, Bloomberg reported.

Factory inventories, which make up about two-fifths of the total, increased 0.6% and wholesale inventories, which make up about 30%, rose 1.1%.

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