Business Inventories Fall 1% in July; Sales Rise

Business inventories fell in July for an 11th straight month, while sales showed the first back-to-back gain in a year, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The 1% decline in goods unsold at factories, retailers and wholesalers to a $1.33 trillion level followed a revised 1.4% decrease in June that was greater than originally forecast.

Sales rose 0.1%, following a 1.1% gain in June. Economists had forecast a 0.9% downturn in inventories, Bloomberg reported.

When sales are growing, it usually means trucking is seeing additional demand to deliver goods and restock shelves.