Inventories in the manufacturing and trade sectors in the United States remained unchanged in August compared to the previous month, standing at $2.66 trillion, the US Census Bureau revealed on Tuesday. The figure rose by 1.1% on an annual basis. In the reported month, the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments rose 0.2% to land at $1.95 trillion, while it experienced a yearly rise of 4.4%. The ratio between business inventories and sales at the end of August was 1.37, compared to 1.41 registered in the same month a year earlier. (full story)