US July business inventories up 0.6 pct vs expected 0.5 pct rise

US business inventories and sales each rose 0.6 pct in July, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
The inventory-to-sales ratio remained at 1.26, a figure that means the typical business had about 38 days of sales on hand in the backroom in July.
Economists expected inventories to rise 0.5 pct in July.
The department's estimate for inventories in June was revised upward to show a 0.9 pct increase from last month's estimate of 0.8 pct.
In the past year, sales have risen 8.1 pct, while inventories have risen 7.4 pct. The figures are not adjusted for price changes.
Retail inventories rose 0.4 pct in the month, while retail auto inventories rose 0.5 pct in July.