Inventories Up in September

America’s businesses -- which have been keeping supplies fairly lean -- boosted their stockpiles of unsold goods in September for the first time in six months, a sign that companies may be feeling more confident about the economic recovery’s staying power.

The Commerce Department reported that businesses’ inventories rose 0.3% in September, a turnaround from the 0.4% drop in August. September’s rise was the first since March, when businesses also increased their supplies at warehouses and back lots by 0.3%. Economists were expecting inventories to be flat in September.

In another encouraging sign, the increase in inventories in September came even as businesses’ sales rose by a solid 0.6%, the biggest gain since July. That marked an improvement over the 0.3% decline registered in August.