US business inventories rose at the fastest pace in two months, while sales fell at the sharpest pace in four months, the Commerce Department said today. Total inventories rose 0.2 pct, in line with expectations, while business sales fell 0.7 pct pct in the month, the largest decline since September. The inventory-to-sales ratio in January rose to 1.30, which translates to about 39.6 days of sales on the shelves for the typical business. After a sustained period of historically low ratios, the inventory-to-sales ratio is at its highest level since February 2005. The department's estimate for inventories in December remained unchanged. In the past year, inventories have risen 5.7 pct, while sales have risen 1.9 pct. Total retail inventories rose 0.2 pct in January after rising 0.3 pct in the prior month. Retail inventories, excluding autos, were unchanged in January. Auto retail inventories rose 0.6 pct in January, the largest increase since June. Manufacturing inventories fell 0.2 pct in February as merchant wholesale inventories rose 0.7 pct.