WASHINGTON — U.S. business inventories were flat in September as sales climbed, indicating companies remained uncertain about the economy’s strength despite its pickup over the summer.
Inventories were virtually unchanged at a seasonally adjusted $1.532 trillion, the Commerce Department said today. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected a gain of 0.1 percent. Inventories in August rose 0.4 percent.
Sales in September rose by 0.6 percent, to a seasonally adjusted $1.210 trillion. August sales rose 0.4 percent.
Demand sped up in the third quarter, with the economy accelerating at its fastest pace of the year. But growth in gross domestic product — the barometer of economic activity in the U.S. — would have been stronger if not for a sharp slowdown in business inventory accumulation.
