By Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Inventories at U.S. businesses rose 0.9% in September, as sales gained 0.5%, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected inventories to rise 0.9%. The inventory-to-sales ratio, an indication of demand, remained at 1.27, compared with 1.3 a year ago. In August inventories rose 0.9% as sales gained 0.3%. Retail inventories rose 0.8% in September, compared with 1.1% in the prior month.
