US business inventories rose by 0.4% month-over-month in February 2026, after a revised flat reading in January, slightly above the market consensus of a 0.3% increase. This marked the strongest gain since January 2025, driven by a sharp rebound in inventories at merchant wholesale inventories (0.8% vs -0.3%). Stocks also increased for retailers (0.2% vs 0.3%) and manufacturers (0.1% vs 0.1%). On a yearly basis, total business inventories went up by 1.3% in February.