Marketplace · Thursday, August 27, 2026
US businesses saw a significant increase in inventories in July, with a 1.3% surge after months of slow growth. This unexpected rise contrasts with recent skittishness in stocking due to policy uncertainty, suggesting businesses may be preparing for strong sales or anticipating future tariff hikes.
“And for months, inventory growth had been slowing down, two tenths of a percent here, three tenths of a percent there until a sharp turn in July when inventories surged 1.3%.”
“I think a lot of that is being driven by a lot of the policy uncertainty over the last 18 months.”
“Wholesalers are having to increase their inventories because their sales have just been so remarkably strong this year.”