Business inventories in the United States increased by 0.9% in March compared to the month before, and reached $2,709.7 billion, the US Census Bureau revealed in its report on Thursday. On an annual basis, the figure rose by 2%. The combined value of trade sales and manufacturers' shipments landed at $2,059.2 billion in the reported month, climbing by 2.1% month-over-month and by 7.1% year-over-year. The total ratio of business inventories to sales stood at 1.32 at the end of March, based on seasonally adjusted data, down from last year's ratio of 1.38. (full story)