Inventories, sales increased in February

Report indicates orders will be rising

Business inventories rose 0.5 percent in February, marking the 14th consecutive monthly increase , according to a report from the U.S. Commerce Department. Sales increased for the eighth consecutive month, indicating that factory orders will be rising in the next few months.

Combined sales by manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers increased 0.2 percent during the month.

The inventories increase means that stockpiles rose to $1.46 trillion in February. It is 10.7 percent higher than the recent low of $1.32 trillion reached in September 2009.

Sales rose at the manufacturing and retail levels, but declined 0.8 percent at the wholesale level.