By Sarah Chaney 
 

WASHINGTON--U.S. business inventories remained unchanged in September from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Friday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 0.1% increase in September from the prior month.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

--Breaking down by sector, factory inventories increased 0.3% in September compared with the prior month. Retail inventories were up 0.2%, and wholesale inventories were down 0.4% on the month.

--The overall inventories-to-sales ratio in September was 1.40, compared with 1.40 in August. It had been 1.36 in September 2018.

--Friday's figures will be incorporated into the Commerce Department's second estimate of third-quarter U.S. gross domestic product, due out at the end of the month. In its first estimate, the agency said private inventories were a drag on third-quarter growth.

Write to Sarah Chaney at sarah.chaney@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 15, 2019 10:15 ET (15:15 GMT)