U.S. Business Inventories Rise 0.6% In February

Business inventories rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in February to $1.58 trillion, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast a 0.5% gain. The increase was led once again by the auto sector, whose inventories jumped 1.8%. Inventories also rose sharply, up 1.1% for, building-materials suppliers. Inventories, which aren't adjusted for price, were 7.6% higher than the same period in February 2011. The ratio of inventories to sales, meanwhile, rose to 1.28 from 1.27 in January.

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