Inventories held by manufacturers and other businesses rose four-tenths of a percentage point in April, the most recent month for which data are available, the U.S. Commerce Department reported on June 13. Economists had expected inventories to rise six-tenths of a percentage point.
Seasonally adjusted, business inventories totaled $1.31 trillion at the end of April, compared with $1.305 trillion at the end of March.
Manufacturers' inventories were $460.1 billion at the end of April, up seven-tenths of a percentage point from $457.9 billion at the end of March.
