Posting an increase of eight-tenths of a percent in May, business inventories, seasonally adjusted, totaled $1.32 trillion at the end of May, the U.S. Commerce Department reported on July 14.
Inventories held by manufacturers were $462.3 billion at the end of May, unchanged from April's end-of-the-month figure. Retailers' inventories were $486 billion at the end of May, up 1.6% from April's $478.5 billion. Inventories held by merchant wholesalers were $375.8 billion at the end of May, up eight-tenths of a percent from April's $372.7 billion.
