Washington, DC, June 15—-Business inventories rose 0.3% in April, falling slightly from the month-ago level of 0.5%, according to the Commerce Department.
The rise in inventories was slower than the 1.2% increase in sales, the Commerce Department figures show. The inventory-to-sales ratio dropped slightly to 1.30 in April from 1.31 in March.
Economists had been expecting the nation's inventories to rise 0.3% in April.
Both including and excluding autos, retail inventories rose 0.2%.
The figures are adjusted for seasonal factors but not for price changes.
Inventories at manufacturing firms grew 0.1% in April. Manufacturing sales dropped to a 0.7% increase after rising 1.6% in March.
Inventories at wholesalers increased 0.8% while sales rose 1.5%.
