U.S. Business Inventories Rose 0.7% in August

U.S. business inventories increased 0.7% in August to a seasonally adjusted $1.889 trillion, the Commerce Department said Friday.

It was the largest one-month build since last November. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a slightly more modest 0.6% gain.

Factory inventories rose 0.4% in August. Retail stockpiles were up 0.7% from July. Wholesale inventories climbed 0.9% on the month.

The data were adjusted for seasonal variations but not price changes.

The Commerce Department's full report on manufacturing and trade inventories and sales can be accessed at:

https://www.census.gov/mtis/www/data/pdf/mtis_current.pdf

Write to Ben Leubsdorf at ben.leubsdorf@wsj.com

(END)Dow Jones Newswires

October 13, 2017 10:22 ET (14:22 GMT)