Business Inventories Up 0.1%

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%.