Washington, DC, July 15—-Business inventories rose 0.1% in May, to $1.3 billion, according to a Commerce Department report.
Economists were expecting inventories to rise 0.3%.
Business sales during the month were off 0.1%. The inventory-to-sales ratio was at 1.30 in May for the second consecutive month.
Retail inventories rose 0.2% in May. Excluding motor vehicles, retail inventories climbed 0.6%.
The figures are adjusted for seasonal factors but not for price changes.
Inventories at manufacturing firms were flat in May for the second month in a row. Manufacturing sales climbed 1.8% after falling 5.9% between March and April.
Inventories at wholesalers increased 0.1%, while sales rose 1.6%.
