The U.S. Commerce Department released the business inventories data on Friday. The U.S. business inventories rose 0.4% in March, beating expectations for a 0.2% gain, after a 0.1% decrease in February.

Retail inventories climbed 1.0% in March, wholesale inventories were up 0.1%, while manufacturing inventories increased 0.2%.

Retail sales declined 0.3% in March, while total business sales were up 0.3%.

The business inventories/sales ratio remained unchanged at 1.41 months in March. The business inventories /sales ratio is a measure of how long it would take to clear shelves.