US business inventories increased by 0.4% month-over-month in August 2026, following an upwardly revised 0.9% rise in July and in line with market expectations. Inventory growth slowed at merchant wholesalers (0.5% vs. 1.4% in July) and retailers (0.2% vs. 0.9%), while manufacturing inventories edged up 0.5%, compared with 0.4% previously. On a yearly basis, total business inventories were up 4.6%.