U.S. business inventories inched higher in December 2025, rising 0.1% month-over-month after remaining flat in November, according to data updated on 6 March 2026. The move marks a slight build-up in stock levels following a 0.0% change in November, when inventories had effectively stalled compared with the prior month.
The December uptick suggests businesses modestly increased their stock holdings heading into the turn of the year, breaking the pause seen in November. On a month-over-month basis, the latest reading reflects a cautious adjustment rather than a broad-based inventory expansion, with firms likely responding to evolving demand conditions at the end of 2025.
Under the comparison framework provided, the “actual” 0.1% figure captures the change in inventories from November to December, while the prior 0.0% reading for November measured the change from October to November. This progression indicates a slight re-acceleration in inventory accumulation as 2025 closed.
