US business inventories up by 0.1% in December

Inventories in the manufacturing and trade sectors in the United States increased by 0.1% in December, month on month, standing at $2.68 trillion, the US Census Bureau revealed in a report on Friday. On an annual basis, the reading rose 1.6%. In the reported month, the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments saw a monthly growth of 0.5% and a yearly growth of 3.2%, coming in at $1.96 trillion. The ratio between business inventories and sales at the end of November was 1.36, down from 1.39 registered a year ago.