- Prior month 0.4%
- Total business inventories increased 0.9% in March to $2.710 trillion.
- Inventories were up 2.0% from a year earlier, but continued to trail the pace of sales growth.
- Combined distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments totaled $2.059 trillion in March.
- Sales increased 2.1% from February 2026
- The inventories-to-sales ratio declined to 1.32 in March from 1.38 in March 2025.
- The lower inventories-to-sales ratio suggests businesses are selling goods more efficiently, with demand remaining firm relative to inventory levels
- Sales were up 7.1% from March 2025, highlighting continued strength in business activity.
The data are adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences, but not for inflation. Inventories are rising but so are sales which helped to lower the inventory to sales ratio which is trending lower. That could lead to supply shock and higher prices if it gets out of hand.
