--US July business inventories -0.4%; sales +0.4%
--US July inventory/sales ratio at 1.42; June at 1.43
--US July retailer inventories +0.1%; autos +1.0%

By Andrew Williams
Washington, Sept. 17 (BridgeNews) - U.S. business inventories in July fell for the sixth consecutive month, slipping 0.4%. The decline in inventories was close to the consensus estimate for a 0.3% drop. Business sales rose 0.4%, placing the inventory-to-sales ratio at 1.42, down from a unrevised 1.43 level in June.
According to the U.S. Commerce Department, inventories at retailers were up 0.1%. In a survey of 20 economists by BridgeNews, the spread of estimates for the June business inventories ranged from down 0.6% to unchanged.