Inventories rose, while sales fell, the Commerce Department said WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. business inventories rose slightly in October, while sales fell, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Inventories rose 0.4 percent to $1.619 trillion, while sales dropped 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted $1.257 trillion. Inventories rose 5.7 from October 2011, while sales rose 3.1 percent over the past 12 months. The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of October was 1.29, up from the ratio of 1.26 in October 2011.