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Business inventories in the U.S. rose by less than expected in the month of February, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Monday, although the report also showed a notable rebound in business sales during the month.

The report showed that business inventories rose by 0.4 percent in February, matching the increase seen in January. Economists had expected inventories to increase by about 0.6 percent.

The increase in business inventories was partly due to higher inventories at manufacturers, which rose by 0.7 percent in February after edging up by 0.2 percent in January.

Inventories at merchant wholesalers also increased by 0.5 percent in February after climbing by 0.8 percent in the previous month.

On the other hand, the report said inventories at retailers came in unchanged in February after rising by 0.3 percent in January.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department also said business sales increased by 0.8 percent in February after tumbling by 1.1 percent in the previous month.

Sales by manufacturers rose by 0.9 percent in February after falling by 0.7 percent in January, while sales by both retailers and merchant wholesalers increased by 0.7 percent.

With inventories and sales both rising, the total business inventories/sales ratio was unchanged from the previous month at 1.31. The ratio came in at 1.28 in the same month a year ago.

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Industrial production in the U.S. rose by more than expected in the month of March, the Federal Reserve revealed in a report on Wednesday, with the report also showing a notable upward revision to the pace of production growth in the previous month. The report said industrial production increased by 0.7 percent in March after surging up by an upwardly revised 1.2 percent in February.

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Housing starts in the U.S. showed a notable increase in the month of March, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, although starts still came in well below economist estimates. The report showed that housing starts climbed 2.8 percent to an annual rate of 946,000 in March from the revised February estimate of 920,000.

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Growth in Philadelphia-area manufacturing activity has accelerated by much more than anticipated in the month of April, according to the results of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Business Outlook Survey released on Thursday. The Philly Fed said its diffusion index of current activity climbed to 16.6 in April from 9.0 in March, with a positive reading indicating growth.

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Leading U.S. economic indicators showed continued improvement in the month of March, according to a report released by the Conference Board on Monday, with the leading economic index rising by slightly more than expected.

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Leading U.S. economic indicators showed continued improvement in the month of March, according to a report released by the Conference Board on Monday, with the leading economic index rising by slightly more than expected. The Conference Board said its leading economic index rose by 0.8 percent in March after climbing by 0.5 percent in February.

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Existing home sales in the U.S. showed a modest decrease in the month of March, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday, although the annual rate of sales still came in above economist estimates.

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New home sales in the U.S. unexpectedly showed a substantial decrease in the month of March, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, with sales falling to their lowest level in eight months. The report said new home sales plunged 14.5 percent to an annual rate of 384,000 in March from the revised February rate of 449,000.

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After reporting a bigger than expected increase in new orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods in the previous month, the Commerce Department released a report on Thursday that once again showed stronger than expected durable goods orders growth in the month of March. The report said durable goods orders surged up by 2.6 percent in March after jumping by a revised 2.1 percent in February.

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Consumer sentiment in the U.S. improved by even more than previously estimated in the month of April, according to a report released by Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan on Friday, with the consumer sentiment index reaching a nine-month high. The report showed that the final reading on the consumer sentiment index for April came in at 84.1 compared to the preliminary estimate of 82

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