United States Advance Retail Inventories Excluding Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers Month-over-Month
This measures the monthly change in the value of inventories held by U.S. retailers, excluding motor vehicle and parts dealers. It helps show whether retailers are building or drawing down stock outside the volatile auto sector.
Full explanation
The series is released in the Census Bureau’s Advance Economic Indicators report and is based on advance estimates of retail end-of-month inventories. The “ex autos” measure removes motor vehicle and parts dealers, which can swing sharply because of vehicle supply and pricing conditions. The calendar value is the month-over-month percent change, typically on a seasonally adjusted basis and not adjusted for price changes.
Why traders watch it
Traders watch inventories because they can influence GDP tracking, production expectations and views on consumer demand. Surprises may affect rate and dollar pricing when they change expectations for real activity or future goods-sector output.
Stronger vs weaker outcomes
A stronger-than-expected increase may suggest retailers are restocking or that goods are accumulating faster than sales. A weaker or negative reading may suggest leaner inventories or stronger sell-through, but the implication depends on retail demand and supply-chain context.
Related indicators
ADP National Employment Report Preliminary Estimate / NER Pulse
ADP Weekly Employment Change is a high-frequency estimate of U.S. private-sector job growth. It gives an early read on whether private employers are adding or cutting jobs.
Advance Merchant Wholesale Inventories month-over-month change
U.S. Wholesale Inventories MoM measures the monthly change in goods held in stock by merchant wholesalers. It shows whether wholesalers are building or drawing down inventories.
American Petroleum Institute Weekly Statistical Bulletin Crude Oil Inventory Change
This is a weekly estimate of the change in U.S. crude oil inventories reported by the American Petroleum Institute. A positive number means stocks rose, while a negative number means stocks fell.
ANZ Business Outlook - Business Confidence
ANZ Business Confidence shows whether New Zealand firms are generally optimistic or pessimistic about business conditions. The headline figure is usually a net balance, meaning the share expecting improvement minus the share expecting deterioration.
Australia Financial Aggregates - private sector credit growth
Australia Private Sector Credit tracks growth in credit provided to households and businesses by domestic financial institutions. The MoM version compares with the previous month, while the YoY version compares with the same month a year earlier.
Australia Housing Credit Month-over-Month
Australia Housing Credit MoM measures the monthly change in outstanding credit used for housing. It shows whether housing-related borrowing is expanding or slowing from one month to the next.