Area Development
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that business inventories rose by 0.4 percent in November, double the 0.2 percent increase that economists had expected. It was the second consecutive rise in inventories after 13 months of declines - the longest stretch of weakness since a record 15 straight drops during a period that covered the last recession in 2001.
 
The hope is that businesses will begin restocking, which, in turn, should help to support the economic recovery. And there was more good news: The government also reported that total business sales rose by 2 percent in November, the best performance in two years.